Gohan's Journey
by G-Kun Son
Summary: A new threat is after Son Gohan and his dead father Son Goku...
1. GJ - Part 1

Gohan's Journey

A/N: All right, hey everyone…Well this is the first chapter to my first fanfic series. Unfortunately it has an amateur taste to it in the first parts, but it gets much better as it goes along, promise! 

This fic is an A/U, but it does take place after the Cell Games. The prologue starts three days after Gohan defeated Cell and the actual story starts three years after Cell is destroyed. So that makes Gohan 14 years old.

If you totally don't get my clothing explanation during the story, just imagine Gohan wearing what he does in "DBZ Movie #9: The Galaxy's In Danger! Super Awesome Guy!", that should make it pretty clear if you've seen the movie.

Anyhow, enjoy the fic and feel free to tell me what you think! I love the feed back!

Disclaimer: The standard…I don't own DB/DBZ/DBGT or Gohan, who I wish I did. The notion would be nice, but unfortunately most of the things mentioned in my fic belong to Akira Toriyama and any other company that is involved with the series. The baddies, however, do belong to me.

Gohan's Journey

Prologue

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Son Gohan opened his eyes slowly, the morning's bright rays shining into them with great intensity that stirred the young saiya-jin. 'How late have I slept in?' He wondered, his ebony eyes squinting as they slowly adjusted to the change in light. Throwing aside the thick and feathery soft covers from his bed, the eleven year old boy slowly moved up into a sitting position. Through blurred eyes Gohan saw figures cast into the shadows of his room, the sun's invisible rays claiming them from their hiding place and bringing light to places that were once dark. The outline of his desk, furniture disseminated in large clumps, they all combined together to form his room; the comforting place that he could call his own. Bringing up a hand to slowly rub his forehead, Gohan slowly warded off the morning dizziness that shock his body, throwing his system hay-wire. The young saiya-jin let out a soft sigh, his breath falling between parted lips as his vision slowly cleared, bringing the fine lines of objects and himself into view. Spiky stands of midnight black hair fell carelessly about Gohan's head as he absently brought up a hand to brush the thick strands away from his face, finding them returning to their original position once his hand left them. A small smile flickered onto the boy's features, moving to claim his face as the strands hanged out in front of his face, the tips just barely bending inward in an unruly fashion. Letting out a soft sigh of contempment, Gohan's glaze moved to shift around the room. 

"Gohan! Wake up, it's late! You need to do your studying." Called out a loud voice from outside of Gohan's room, the obviously feminine voice shouting loudly to make sure her words were clearly heard. Recognizing the voice immediately as his mother's Gohan quickly got up from his bed, his legs swinging over the side and landing on the ground with a soft pad. Flexing his toes under the cool surface of his wooden floor Gohan headed into his bathroom to get washed up and changed for the day before his mother had a chance to yell at him anymore about not being awake. His mother had become much more tense toward him ever since his father's death. And this occurance did not seem to do more than damper Gohan's mood in many ways. He loved his father dearly and when the man had given up his life to save everyone and everything he loved, Gohan had been one of the hardest to take it.

Moving with sore muscles from intense training and fighting, Gohan forced his way to the bathroom where he was planning to get cleaned up. His mind slowly drifted to three days earlier when Dende had healed him after the climatic battle against Cell, his body better in many ways though the scars of the experience were still etched clearly in his mind. He had felt better then, but now that he had the time for his vision and head to clear up he figured out how badly he still was hurt. Sometimes even the biggest wounds could be healed the fastest, but it is the little things that scar the most. 

Making his way into the bathroom connected to his room, his bare feet padding softly against the ground, Gohan went to the mirror first, his body moving to stand in front of the sink. He ebony eyes stared at the reflection of himself, one hand moving up to run across his face before he slowly shook his head, raven strands flying in front of his face with the motion. Turning on the water, Gohan let the cool liquid run through his fingers, waiting until the temperature was just right before beginning to wash his face as well as doing the normal bathroom toilettes. Small drops of water gently cascaded down Gohan's thinly curved face as the young saiya-jin brought up a dry cloth, running the rough surface against his soft and tender skin to rid it of it's burden.

A small sigh fall between Gohan's lips as he finished washing and cleaning himself, his glaze lingering back to the reflection of himself. His face was scratched in some places, small spots having scabs and others just finishing up healing. He remembered clearly how he had gotten each and every one of them, how he had left open a whole in his defenses while fighting, allowing his attack to gain the upper hand for a brief moment before he would reclaim his position if possible. Gohan shrugged off his thoughts, his shoulders slumping forward slightly as he tried to push away his thoughts. 

Turning away from the mirror, Gohan slowly walked from the bathroom, his stride carrying him over to the drawer next to his closet wear he kept his gis. He pulled one of the drawers open slowly, a small creek sounding with the motion, as his fingers flipped through the many different choices. Most of them were dark purple, some orange, some just plain normal clothes. Gohan thumped through them until he located his orange gi, the matching one of his father's. He decided, soon after his father's decision to remain in heaven, that he would don his father's colors out of respect for him and everything he had done throughout his life. Pulling out the rest of his clothes, Gohan closed the drawer and threw the clothes aside on his bed.

Pulling a navy undershirt over his head, his raven strands protesting profoundly, Gohan let out a soft sigh. He moved to put on the orange tunic top next, leaving it open as he pulled on the matching orange pants and then held the two pieces together with a beltwrap. Jerking it tightly so as not to let it fall off later in the day, Gohan tucked the excess part of the wrap within the belt itself before pulling on his navy bands onto his wrists. Moving to the corner of his room once he had completed clothing himself, Gohan reached down and pulled on his navy and orange boots, tying them into place at his ankles with a thick piece of string.

"I'll try my best dad," said Gohan softly as he headed out of his room, his boot-clad feet tapping lightly against the ground as he headed down the hallway of his home. Gohan tried vainly to content himself on the pictures he saw lining the walls of the hallway as he headed toward the living room, the aroma of sweet smelling food drawing him nearer. His stride slowed as he headed into the living room, his glaze moving to look toward the kitchen where he saw his mother, Chi-Chi, working busily. Alerting himself to her presence, Gohan walked toward the wooden table in the middle of the kitchen.

"Hi mom," he said softly as he crept along and took a seat at the round kitchen table.   
  
"Gohan, why were you asleep so long?" Chichi practically shouted at her eleven-year-old son. Before Gohan had the chance to counter with a reason Chi-Chi's face softened as she looked at her son that sat before her with deep sorrow. "I'm sorry Gohan. I'm just a little edgy this morning. Hungry? I can make you something if you are...?" offered Chichi as she placed her hands on her hips in a normal stance of dominance. Thin strands of dark hair lined her face as she looked at her son pleadingly, knowing this was a difficult time for the boy. It was a difficult time for all of them. The Cell Games had ended less than a week ago and with them went the casualty of Goku's death.

Gohan shook his head, raven strands swaying about his face, as he put on a forced smile. He could read the signs clearly marked on his mother's face, her expression a mixture of sadness and self-pity on himself. "No thanks mom, I want go out for a walk if that's okay with you?" he asked with a pleading look crossing his face as hopefully ebony eyes stared up at his mother. He knew his mother would never like the idea, since she always seemed to bring up new reasons why he should be studying instead, but he still wished she would let him have a little time alone. He appreciated and loved his mother, but sometimes he just needed to get away and sort out his feelings. Sometimes that was the only peace the young saiya-jin would find.

A loud sigh rang from Chi-Chi's lips, letting her distaste in the idea be obviously shown. Her dark eyes moved to glaze on Gohan, her hands throwing up in frustration as she let a small smile play on her lips; her heart softening toward the boy's look. Gohan smiled at his mother and got up to give her a hug, knowing she had agreed to let him go without actually saying anything. After a quick embrace Gohan walked out of the kitchen and toward the door of their small home. He was anxious to leave, a heavy feeling settling in his heart and causing him to want to think things over. Sometimes he would regret his thoughtful mind, but thenagain, it wasn't like he could change who he was for that matter.

"Now remember to be home before dark!" called out Chi-Chi as Gohan closed the door behind him and headed toward the grassy lanes that encircled his home. She shook her head slowly at her son, a sigh falling between her lips before she proceeded to go about cleaning the house for the day, losing herself in her work.

The vast array of mountains seemed to spread out before Gohan as he made his way across the rolling lanes of bright green grass, his long ground-devouring stride carrying him far. Warm breezes of wind caressed his face and pulled back his raven strands as he stuck his hands into his pockets, continuing on his way at a leisurely pace. It wasn't long until he had put a mile's length inbetween himself and his home, a small smile flickering onto his chapped lips as he brought out his tongue to run over them. His movements came to a stop as he sudden took notice of where he was heading. It hadn't occurred to him at the time, but he had been carrying himself straight to the spot where he and his father would always go. 

Gohan's fingers clenched into a fist as he removed them from his pockets, an eerie sense overtaking him. He hadn't been to the place in a while, not since he and his father had come there to relax in the warm sun that seemed to shine down on the spot with intense fury. Gohan felt tears swelling in his ebony eyes, his legs collapsing underneath him as he fell to the ground on his knees. He forced his eyes closed tightly, tears streaming down his cheeks, the small droplets cascading down his soft and tender skin. "Why did I come here?" he asked aloud between sobs, his hands moving up to brush away the tears still streaming down his cheeks. His ebony eyes slowly blinked open, the movement almost hesitant as his blurred glaze moved to linger over the area. 

It was beautiful. Simply and utterly. The place was a lane of rolling hills clad with small bright green slivers of grass that luciously grew from the surface. A large lake was close by, the cool water a refreshing retreat to any who had to endure the sun's warm presence all day. Close by was a forest, small in size, though beautiful and abundant in many ways. Apples grew from the tops of many tree's tops, hidden deep within the thick brush of leaves where Gohan would have trouble searching for them if he couldn't fly. He remembered clearly when he and his father had gone to the exact forest on his belated birthday to gather apples, which his mother had insisted they needed. A small smile seemed to flicker across Gohan's lips before the look faded, his memories rolling out and bringing him to another painful memory.

In his mind he could almost vividly see the Eternal Dragon as Dende summoned Shenron from the newly recovered Dragonballs. The tall and snaky dragon wound high above them, his green scaled tail flicking impatiently through the dark sky as he waited for the wishes that he was to grant. The words of his father, Goku, seemed to settle into Gohan's mind. He remembered him clearly saying that he wanted to remain in heaven since he thought that he had been the cause of everyone's problems with Frieza, the saiya-jins, and so many others. Gohan remembered being able to except the predicament when it had been placed before, but not now. Not after he had had time to think and to realize that he wasn't going to see or even speak to his father again. The thought brought a great heaviness to Gohan's heart, his head seeming to spin.

Gohan's chest heaved with all the painful and harsh memories that seemed to flood his subconscious. His last nerve seemed to be break as he balled his fingers into tight fists, the saiya-jin raising his head to look toward the sky. It didn't take more than a moment before he was in the air and flying high into the sky, his spiky black strands pulled back against his head with the movement. His flying, however, came to an abrupt stop high within the air. He didn't even flinch with the extremely quick stop, his arms moving out in front of him as he stared down toward the earth; his home. His fingers flexed inward as he cupped them in front of him, his hands moving to his side, his shoulder twisting almost as to protect them. His voice seemed to shake from the bottom of his throat, the words hoarse and pain driven.

"Ka…"

He began yelling as his voice carried across the land for miles, energy forming its way through his body and into the attack.   
  
"Me…"  
  
The energy increasing above any of the normal standards. His hair growing more blonde and shining brighter with each passing second.   
  
"Ha…"  
  
Almost to the top of his powers.   
  
"Me…"   
  
One more step left until oblivion.   
  
"HA!"   
  
The complete wave of energy; utter madness.   
  
Kamehameha.   
  
Gohan screamed as the intense energy wave aimed at the below planet surged to the ground, the bright blue beam pulsing. Using his quick speed Gohan raced down to the earth, moving to the exact spot where the energy wave would land. Holding his hands before him Gohan prepared himself for the ball of power being thrown to him by himself. 'This is it,' he thought as the energy collided with his hands, his feet digging into the earth from the force. His teeth clenched together tightly, his eyes narrowed as he pushed hard against the beam, quickly working to build another, more powerful, blast that sent the kamehameha back into the sky. Gohan's chest heaved as he watched the wave head into space where he knew it would soon disperse and disappear. 

As Gohan stood erect in his fighting stance as his ebony eyes watched the spectacle, his mouth slightly ajar at his own actions. Small beads of sweat lined the side of his face and slowly dripped down to the corners of his thinly curved cheeks where they fell to the ground below. Hands held in the tight stance of the kamehameha block that his father had taught him, Gohan slowly released his destroying form and allowed himself to land on the ground only inches above where he had been hovering. Mouth a gasp Gohan looked down at the ground before him with legs spaced apart in order to support himself more fully. Closing his eyes tightly Gohan allowed small tears to flow from the corners of his eyes. Although he felt better now that he had let the excess energy and anger out, Gohan could not help but think about his father and about how much he loved him.

Slowly opening his eyes Gohan stopped his tears with forced strength and wiped away what were left using the back of his hand. Forcing a smile to curve on the sides of his lips he let go of the painful past that held itself to his heart. Sighing contently for the first time in a long while Gohan decided that it was time to go home. He figured that his mother would surely be upset at him if he did not get some studying done before nightfall.

Taking a giant leap into the air Gohan flew through the sky and toward his home, unknowing that a terrible fate would befall him in only a few years time.   


****

Gohan's Journey  
**Chapter 1**  
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"Gohan! Where are you going? I thought you were going to stay with Goten today?" called out Chi-Chi loudly, her two-year-old son, Goten, hugged tightly against her hip. Her eyes narrowed as she looked her eldest son stand by the doorway of their home, her free hand moving to rest on her hip. Stray strands of black hair that managed to escape from her tight bun atop her head fell loosely against her cheeks as she tilted her chin downward slightly.

"I can't mom, something came up. I promise I'll watch him tomorrow." Said Gohan, his voice soft, though it tinted toward his maturing age. He was had recently turned fourteen years old and his body was beginning to catch up with him, though he still atoned to his more younger features in various ways. Standing tall Gohan looked pleadingly at his mother, hoping to have her permission. 

Chi-Chi sighed inwardly knowing all too well that she was going to cave in as she had done hundreds of times with her belated husband; Goku. "Alright," she said making her distaste in the answer noticeable. She didn't at all like her son running off to train or stay away from his studying. He was getting older and with that came plenty of responsibilities that she expected from him, though every once in a while she knew he had to be by himself and just relax. A sigh rang from Chi-Chi parted lips as she caught the happy glint in her son's eyes, a small smile working to claim her face.

Gohan couldn't help but smile at his mother for letting him go, especially when he knew she disliked him leaving by himself. "Thanks, mom." He said to her softly before he raced out the door, closing it lightly behind him, and jumping into the air. He soared up into the air with ease, his ki keeping him aloft as he headed off. 

The warm after air caressed Gohan's face as he headed in the general direction of Capsule Corporation where he had planed to meet up with Piccolo for a training session with him and Vegeta. He knew Vegeta didn't care much for training with the son of his rival, but with limited choices as to people strong enough to train with him, Gohan and Piccolo became his only options. A small smile worked onto Gohan's lips at the thought, having always looked up to the saiya-jin, though he wouldn't say anything. He knew he would just get yelled at for some reason or another for even trying to show gratitude.

Glancing around the landscape that seemed to spread out before him, his arms plastered to his sides, Gohan's thoughts traveled back to three years ago. He always did this, whenever he was alone and just thinking. He had been at the Cell Games then, to the time when he had killed Cell. The thought wasn't all bad, being rid of the wicked android being the best point of all. But with those thoughts came one's of his father and his death, the thing that always pained his heart. A deep breath rang from Gohan's lips at the thought, pushing them away. He had been able to come to peace with his father's death and accept it, but it still hurt to think about it. It had almost been too much for Gohan to handle three years ago, but now he was stronger and could face the fact that he alone would be the earth's new protector, whether he wanted the job or not.

Gohan brought his thoughts out of the past as his ebony eyes moved to glaze at the serene area below him. His thick raven strands blew into his face, pushing up against his forehead as they strode to block his vision. His eyes suddenly narrowed as he saw a rather large objet descending from the blue sky. Stopping abruptly in mid-air, Gohan stared at the sight from at least a mile away. A stray thought crossed his mind as he squinted in his eyes in hopes of catching a better view of the hunk of metal that was quickly approaching the surface. Gohan's eyes blinked back a surprised look when he realized it was a kind of ship, huge, like a space ship.

Almost immediately Gohan turned his body toward the direction where the ship was falling, his body twisting as he sped off toward it. For all he knew people could be hurt and he was planning on being there to help if anyone needed it. His glaze moved to settle on where the ship had gone, no longer able to see the thing as it fell behind a tall set of mountains in the far distance. Thinking of a rational thing to do in the situation, Gohan wasn't going to be careless. He threw out his senses, trying to sense out any high ki levels that he may worry about, though he found none that drew his attention. They were a few he could feel but they were faint enough that a normal human's ki level seemed higher. And that wasn't saying much. Shrugging to his thoughts, Gohan continued on his way.

A huge line of smoke caught Gohan's attention as he neared the site where the ship had fallen, his eyes narrowing slightly as he tried to see through the thick smoke that was quickly building around the area. The ship had obviously crashed from the looks of all the smoke.

Gohan's blinked furiously as smoke sung his eyes, causing them to water up slightly against the stinging sensation that was quickly building in them. Flames that seemed to reach high into the sky engulfed the ship as smoke was spat from the top of the ship, drifting into the air where it would eventually evaporate into the sky. The flamed flared with their own deadly red hue, tempting to burn anything that came near them. Gohan's eyes widened slightly as he heard a gentle rapping against metal, his ears caught the noise even through the sounds of cracking metal against fire. 

He almost immediately rushed to the doorway that was obviously in front of where he had landed, his eyes squinting against the flames as he protectively brought up his hands to shield them away. Ignoring the heat from the flames Gohan hurriedly threw a quick blast of ki at the place where he had spotted the door and watched as it blew apart in front of him. The fire danced at his feet, only strengthening it even though he had managed to get the door opening.

Taking a deep breath Gohan quickly jumped through the flames, trying his hardest to make it through the area that seemed to be less high than the rest. He ignored the flames that shot out at him, burning his flesh and causing him to wince in pain before he found himself within the chamber that the door led too. 

Gohan's mouth opened ajar as he stared at the sight within the ship, his hands moving down from in front of his face to rest at his sides. His dark eyes darted left and right, trying to take in the amazing sight of technology. Hundreds, no thousands, of machines seemed to be working and moving around the burning ship, hurriedly performing work unknown to the young saiya-jin. The room was huge, desks with computers in front of them lining almost all the walls. Buttons, switches, devices of all kinds seeming to line the walls, Gohan just staring at all of the things speechlessly, his mind wondering what all of the things could possibly do though he knew that must have some sort of purpose. His mind continued to wander over the possibilities until his attention snapped, a strange noise echoing from outside the ship. Immediately turning around, Gohan threw away his thoughts as he dashed out of the ship, not bothering to waste his time getting through the large flames.

His ebony eyes looked around quickly as he stood outside the ship, strands of raven hair swaying back and forth with his motions as he brought his hands in front of him. His fingers balled into tight fists, making sure he was prepared as he kept a critical eye on the surrounding area. His nose wrinkled slightly, as he practically tasted a rising ki level, hoping with all his might that the person was friendly. His eyes seemed to widen when he suddenly took notice of the figure that the ki belonged to, his mouth opening ajar at the sight.

Mouth a gasp Gohan stared straight ahead at the sight of twenty large creatures. Their size varied, but they all carried the same haunting presence about them. Arms wide set, shoulders that burst out with strong, well-defined muscles, tall; they were fearsome to the young saiya-jin to say the least. Small horns grew out of the knuckle part of their hands and arched out in a deadly fighting position, sharp canine teeth grinning madly at Gohan as his defense broke down by the impending sight laid out before him. The metal clad warriors took a step toward him as they caught sight of the half saiya-jin. Gohan's eyes caught the sight of a long powerful tail waving behind the figures walking toward him; thick and an obvious threat.  


"Name?" asked one of them directly. The android-like voice echoed in Gohan's mind as the words held a cruel edge to the already fearsome looking group. Gohan didn't need anything else to bring worry about them to his mind.   


"Huh?" he managed to mumble as he took the time to regain his composure.   
  
"Name?" repeated the android sounding voice that took another step closer to the impending Gohan, who now stood calm and collected.   
  
"Hmm..." mumbled Gohan as his sharp mind quickly thought up possibilities of what to answer. Giving away his name could cost him his life and Gohan knew that all too well. After careful thought Gohan finally reasoned that he would be better off giving his name to the strange aliens than to try and fib. In the back of his mind Gohan truly knew that he would have a difficult time lying, knowing that he had not been brought up as a liar but as a young man who always spoke the truth. He knew that would always come back to either haunt or help him. 

"Son Gohan," said Gohan trying not to sound harsh, although the thought remained close to the tone of his voice. He couldn't help but be cautious of the horrid looking beasts that stood before him.   
  
A brief moment of silence slowly passed by as Gohan stared blankly at the others standing in front of him. 'What are they doing?' he thought as he waited as patiently as possible for them to say something.   
  
"Son Gohan...confirmed. Beginning transportion process to planet Mankin...Next target reported as Son Goku, father of Son Gohan. Son Gohan in process of being acquired." Said the demonic voice that sent shivers down Gohan's spine. 

"Acquired? In process of transportion? What's going on?" asked Gohan to the creatures as they began walking in his direction, his voice etched with worry. Confusion settled into Gohan's subconscious as he thought of what they could possible want with him and his dead father. The creatures continued to walk forward without slowing their pace at all. A tingle of fear winced up inside of Gohan as he could clearly sense the rising ki levels around himself, not at all liking the thought of a strife. Finding it obvious that the situation was going to lead to a struggle Gohan settled down to business.

Standing erect in a powering up stance Gohan balled his fingers up into a fist and gathered his energy up. His ki level grew intensely as the ground began to break off from its original hold and fly into the surrounding air by Gohan. The creatures stopped their walk for only a brief moment as if to consider continuing or to stop, but after only a moment's time they seemed not concerned and continued on. Anger rouse in Gohan as he powered up to his super saiya-jin mode, staying only in level one so that he could deceive them, plus, it wasn't like he liked using his most powerful form. Actually, if it were up to him he would have preferred not to have it all, though he knew the thought was impossible.

A scream escaped Gohan's tender lips as his hair glowed golden blonde and stood leveled upward. A beam of bright golden ki surrounded Gohan's body as small currents of ki flickered around him, his ki energy still raising. With his now aqua eyes narrowed when the transformation was complete. He stood in attack mode with his eyes squarely on the target at hand. His arms moved in front of him, one foot holding firm into the ground to support him as his eyes narrowed and his chin tilted forward, trying to remain as ready as possible.

The large creatures approached him at a rapid pace their ki rising as well until it came to a sudden stop. Gohan felt the stop and immediately prepared himself for the assault. The first of the twenty jumped into the air, flying madly about the calm Gohan until he suddenly came behind Gohan and attempted a side kick followed by a whip with his tail. Gohan felt the action of his movements immediately and ever so easily ducked from the kick and held out his arm in front of himself. The creature's tail flew madly at Gohan trying to whip him at full force but Gohan was already aware of the move and yanked the tail as it drove toward him causing the creature to stop dead. Gohan used the moment of weakness to land an upper cut and kick to the creature's side until the creature suddenly regained his composure, allowing Gohan to land only one of his two attacks. 

Twisting his body in new found ways Gohan jumped and twisted through the air using his ki to help him stay aloft as he caught sight of the creature's clawed hand aimed right in front of him. Flying upward, the compact Gohan was able to stop himself from hitting the clawed fist head on. Using gravity as his aid Gohan allowed himself to fall to the ground, his short well-muscled legs aimed and targeted for a direct assault on the creature in front of him. The creature stood in dumbfound shock then grinned as he saw Gohan's assault come to an amazing stop. Gohan twisted his head around to catch a glance of another one of the attackers as he grabbed hold of the back of his gi and yanked him back sharply, throwing his balance off completely. His attackers used Gohan's time of weakness to exploit the holes he left in defense by being thrown off balance. 

Gohan, now seeing that he was close to be captured or killed, threw all him excess energy into a flip which surprised the attacker, allowing Gohan the time to loosen the grip on his gi with a quick hit to the creature's wrist. The creatures cried out in pain as its grip loosed on its hold of Gohan's gi allowing Gohan to jump up onto the outstretched arm of the attacker. Completely thrown off guard the attacker stumbled as Gohan's foot connected with his neck bringing sudden death to his enemy. 

All the other fearsome creatures backed off immediately when they saw the dead body of one of their kind. Most of them stared dumbfound as they watched Gohan land on the ground in front of them almost unbruised. Their smirks disappeared slowly, now replaced by looks of remorse and anger boiling in the pit of their stomachs. Gohan looked contently around as he sensed their ki rising, trying to keep calm and confident and not get himself worried or upset. He knew it he did that, that he would lead them onto his weaknesses. Refusing to show any fear whatsoever Gohan looked straight ahead at the biggest and apparently the leader of the group. He smirked slowly and said, "Is that all you got?" Gohan watched as he saw a look of anger flash across the creature's face and felt his ki level move up steadily and double more than the other creatures that had so far tried to attack Gohan. Gohan looked the creature up and down slowly and noticed that his ki level seemed nothing compared to the other's of his kind, a small lump building in the back of Gohan's throat as he felt it continue to soar.

Gohan let out a long breath, his breath escaping between parted lips, as planted his feet firmly apart in order to maintain a more balanced position. Closing his eyes and using his ki sensing abilities to locate the attackers Gohan held his fingers into a tight fist. Powering up wasn't the easiest thing for him, and he didn't do it often. Maybe once or twice when he managed to talk Vegeta into a spar, but that was it. He never liked using all of his power anyway.

Sensing the earth and ki around him Gohan gathered his anger, fear, pain, remorse and let them all flow into one outlet, finding no other way to spur him on. Filling in the spaces Gohan felt as his ki level raised up more and more with each passing moment until his level raised so high that his hair stood straight on it's ends except for a small piece that fell limply in front of his line of vision. Suddenly his aqua eyes snapped open and he saw before him that his attacker seemed to have moved into a fighting position. The remaining nineteen attackers arranged themselves around the powered up Gohan; the biggest of the nineteen stood the closest and grinned at Gohan. Gohan looked him over slowly, trying to wipe away the tingle he felt go down his spine at the sight.

"Tinokoto," muttered the voice of the machine-like being as he stood mere feet from the awaiting Gohan.   
  
"What's that? Your name?" asked Gohan, as he looked the creature straight in the eyes. The creature smiled at Gohan and grinned with a nod. Taking a step toward Gohan he started his attack jumping high into the air and using gravity in the very same fashion Gohan had just used, using it to propel himself straight at Gohan who barely had to time to react. 'He knew my move,' thought Gohan as he prepared to block the attack with his hands held in front of himself in order to catch the attack and hopefully turn the tables on Tinokoto. Tinokoto saw Gohan's movements a second ahead and smirked as he disappeared into thin air only inches away from connecting his large foot with Gohan's awaiting hands.   


A surprised look flashed across Gohan's face as he saw the giant Tinokoto disappear in front of him using his father's own method! "I'll have time to worry about that later." Mumbled Gohan as he cleared his mind and watched for the attackers return. The battlegrounds remained quiet for several seconds as time dripped by ever so slowly. The rest of the creatures stood firm and away from the battle as if they were afraid of being killed by the overwhelming power, or ki in the area. 'Why?' wondered Gohan but he knew he would not find the answer right now; he had to focus.

Then he sensed it. A second to late Gohan spun around and found a clawed fist connected with his jaw. The powerful attack knocked Gohan straight off his feet and made him fly through the air several feet until he was finally stopped by the side of a mountain. Pain shot through Gohan's limbs as he tried desperately to raise himself from the debree of the mountain's side that crushed down upon him from the impact. His now sore muscles screamed at him as he tried to quickly to stand on his own feet. The process of getting up seemed to take forever as Gohan found a huge rock to use as leverage and gripped a blood covered hand on it's edges. Using all the energy he had Gohan pushed himself painfully into an upright position as his body screamed at him to stop and rest. Gohan ignored these pains and knew he would pay for not heeding their warnings later. Feeling surprising weak by the one attack Gohan placed the back of his hand on his jaw and wiped his throbbing cheek. As he pulled away he saw his hand soaked in his own blood. 'Those claws must have ripped up my skin,' thought Gohan as he wiped away the rest of the blood and looked around to find the creature that had hit him. 

His eyes searched the area in a matter of seconds as he caught the sight of the huge creatures standing exactly where he had hit him. "That was dirty," said Gohan loud enough for him to hear. Gohan stood up as straight as possible and began walking toward Tinokoto with a slight limb. He must have banged up his knee, figured Gohan as he shoved the pain away for the moment. Any sign of weakness played against him in this case.   


"A mere observation through facts which have been uploaded into my data banks." Responded Tinokoto as he taunted Gohan with words. 

Gohan nearly fell over as Tinokoto spoke the words that he had always dreaded. "Upload...observation...you-you're...an android!" muttered Gohan with wide eyes as he glared at the sight of the huge hunk of metal that had just thrown him into a mountain's side. Memories popped into Gohan's mind but he quickly forced them away. He didn't need this. He couldn't handle it right now. He was not even sure if he could ever handle it. The sight of the android sickened Gohan beyond belief, even though Gohan's best friend was in love with an android he couldn't help but hate them for everything they were worth. They had been the cause for everything wrong in his life. Everything. 

"You're quick, but not quick enough." Said the taunting voice. He glazed onto the hurt Gohan without remorse or regret for hurting the young saiya-jin when he suddenly attempted another assault on the helpless boy. Performing a backward side jump Tinokoto snapped his tail right for Gohan's head as he left his backside vulnerable. 

Gohan, who was barely ready for the assault, quickly transported himself away from the flying tail and to the side of Tinokoto. The surprised android tried quickly to regain the momentum of his tail so that he could defend his side but he was too slow. Gohan pushed himself to the maximum using all the strength he could mange to use and delivered a strong kick to Tinokoto's side followed by a quick jab in the stomach that sent the machine doubling over in pain. 

Gohan's eyes snapped open in surprise as he watched his attacks hurt the android so much. Hope rouse in the back of his mind as he quickly dodged another attack from the android. "I...I thought you were an android." Said Gohan between heavy breaths as he continued to attack and defend punches and kicks.   
  
"You are correct." Replied the android as he sped up his assault in hopes of landing a good punch that would disable Gohan even further. He looked straight into the eyes of the clearly weakening Gohan that would soon have to give up the fight or die exhaustion. That was when he would strike. That would be when he would acquire the necessary Son Gohan.   


"But-but...I hurt you. You're not like the others I've fought." Said Gohan as he tried to keep pace with the android but was slowly falling behind with each attack and block.   
  
"I am like Cell." Said Tinokoto as he grinned.   
  
"Cell...." Said Gohan as the words echoed in his mind. The thought devoured Gohan as he unknowingly held his breath. Everything seemed to go blank with fear and hate as Gohan stopped his attacks and moved away from Tinokoto who continued to grin at him. Taking huge deep breaths, Gohan's chest heaved, his knees feeling weak with grief as he tried vainly to stay standing. Pains rushed over him as thoughts of his father's death and of the Cell games flooded his conscious and sent him reeling over his own desperate emotions. Pain was shown clearly on his young and delicate face as he felt his knees buckle and fall to the ground. Gohan's head felt dizzy and his vision was blurred as he grabbed his head and tried to rid his mind of those painful and deadly thoughts. Cell, the word taunted him to no end. Even after killing Cell, the demon still came back to hurt Gohan in ways unbearable to any normal person.

'Dad...' thought Gohan but he made the thoughts go away. He had too, he had to fight, he had to live, and he had to protect everything he and his father loved and still love so much. "Father," breathed Gohan barely audible. He let his hands leave his head and shook his head at Tinokoto as he looked over the menacing android. Gohan looked up with hard and pained eyes as tears breezed down his tender cheeks only to land in the dry earth below him. Gohan quickly used the back of his hand to wipe away the tears that blurred his vision further. Standing up slowly Gohan prepared himself for the fight he now needed. He needed to destroy Tinokoto and let everything out. All the pain, anger, and grief. He had to let it out now or he knew it would consume him. With a loud scream Gohan lunched himself at the waiting Tinokoto who seemed amused at the spectacle. "This ends now!" yelled out Gohan as he ran up to Tinokoto and threw a hard punch at him. Mere seconds before the punch would collide with Tinokoto he disappeared leaving Gohan cursing for his irrational movements. 

Tinokoto reappeared right behind Gohan and whipped him hard in the back with his strong metal plated tail. Pain ran down Gohan's back as the strong thick tail lashed over his fragile body and sent him to his knees in pain. He had made the wrong move. He had let Tinokoto get the better of him again. Closing his eyes tightly Gohan made himself bare the pain. Why was he so weak? The thought tossed over in Gohan's mind as he vainly tried to stand up but saw the process as more difficult than normal. Crawling up on his knees Gohan slowly righted himself and hunched his back as he stood favoring one leg. His head screamed at him to leave, to give up the fight and help himself. But Gohan refused too give up without a fight; he would die if he had to in order to save the world from the Cell-like demons. What would his father think if he had given up and run away like he had so much in the past? No, he refused too, not now and not ever would he give up to save himself when others could die at his actions. Forcing himself to keep calm Gohan looked straight at the large giant called Tinokoto. Feeling his energy being drained from all the fighting and keeping in super saiya-jin form, Gohan felt himself almost too weak to fight but nevertheless he forced himself to take a step closer to Tinokoto. Another painful step, then another.   


"Give up, you are too weak to fight me anymore." Called out Tinokoto as he rested his arms across his chest, unconcerned by Gohan as he slowly made his way toward him.   
  
"Never..." he paused to catch his breath as he breathed through clenched teeth. "I won't give up as long as I have fight left in me." Continued Gohan slowly, knowing all too well that if he continued on like this that he would truly die. 

"Commander, Dr. Kinson wished to have the specimens alive." Called out one of the other giants standing off to the side. Fear could be heard in the voice clearly as the creature spoke to Tinokoto. 

Tinokoto glared at the other android for reminding him but quickly looked back to Gohan who was still painfully making his way toward him with an ever-growing limb. He smirked at Gohan and spoke to him directly, "Prepare the acquiring process of Son Gohan. Prepare the chambers for his arrival. Once we have him we will go after Son Goku."   
  
Gohan looked up directly at Tinokoto and stopped walking- rather limping toward the beast. Pain and anger flashed across his teal eyes as he glared at Tinokoto from a distance away. "You will never 'acquire' my father. Or me for that matter." Spoke Gohan slowly as he breathed in and out slowly from his mouth. His voice sounded weak and hoarse compared to the androids that gathered around him who stopped as he spoke.   
  
"And why is that?" asked Tinokoto as if he didn't care at all.

"He's dead!" yelled out Gohan as he lunched himself into the air using as much energy as possible. Flying at an incredible pace Gohan headed straight for the Capsule Corp. where he could find Piccolo and the others. Gohan could only hoped that the androids wouldn't follow him.   
  
  
  
  
Tinokoto watched unconcerned as the young saiya-jin flew off into the air and away from the battlegrounds. "Weakling," he muttered as he looked at the rest of his crew. He glared at them all and pointed toward the ship with one finger outstretched. "Prepare the ship for flying, we need to leave these grounds immediately. We shall take care of Son Gohan later, he is weak and we will recover him before he has the chance to regain all his strength. Now go!" yelled out Tinokoto as the other androids quickly tended to the task that he had assigned.   
  
Looking at the direction that Gohan had fled Tinokoto gave off a small laugh. "Soon Dr. Kinson will control you Son Gohan. We will have you and your father even if he is dead! We have ways of dealing with those sort of problems. Do not underestimate us again." Said Tinokoto as he walked off to deal with the problems of the ship.   
  



	2. GJ - Part 2

Gohan's Journey  
Chapter II  
------  
  
Gohan looked back over his shoulder as he rapidly flew across the distance between himself and the Capsule Corp. buildings. Relief covered Gohan as he noticed that Tinokoto and the other androids had not followed him when a sensation of guilt spread across him as he thought about what he had just done. He gave up again, as he had done so many times throughout his life. "Why didn't you just stay and fight?" he asked himself slowly knowing all too well inside that he was scared that he would die. He was weak right now and he knew it. Even as he claimed more distance between himself and the battlegrounds he felt himself weakening even more. Slowly Gohan allowed himself to slip out of his super saiya-jin form and into his normal human form. As he did so his teal eyes flashed bright than immediately returned to their natural black color, his hair following the same pattern as the spiky strands once again covered Gohan's vision with their midnight color. The golden aura slowly faded away and left Gohan as he normally would be in human form. Gohan sighed deeply as he felt his energy leaving him in a less rapid rate although he knew that soon he would have such little energy left that he would not be able to make it to the Capsule Corp. buildings. Thoughts came to Gohan's mind as he wondered how long it would be until his friends started looking for him. Had they already begun or would they wait until later? Realization came to Gohan when he suddenly wondered how long he had been fighting Tinokoto and the others until he had finally fled in order to escape from becoming captured.  
  
The wind whipped Gohan's hair back as he sped even faster hoping to reach the Capsule Corp. building before it was to late and he ran out of energy. Looking down at his body Gohan saw lines of scarlet colored blood tinkle its way down his flesh as the wind pulled it from his wounds and into the air. How much blood have I lost? He wondered as one of his hands ventured to rest on his still throbbing cheek. Pain shot through his body as he closed his eyes tightly in order to smooth over the pain. Trying as hard as possible to ignore the pain for the time being Gohan slowly opened his eyes again. Looking down to see exactly where he was Gohan saw as the blue ocean's waves hit against the tan sand covered coastline. The ripples of the top of the waves floated above the water and disappeared as they crashed into the shore where it was soaked up by the sand that looked brown from the distance. Darting his eyes away from the scene Gohan looked further in the distance, his eyes catching a city quickly approaching. 'Not there yet,' he thought as he flew closer toward the city knowing that Capsule Corp. buildings were at the next town over.  
  
Gohan looked down as he flew high above the city. People lined the streets and cars drove along the gray paved road leading away in several directions. Children played, men and women talked of good times, everything seemed peaceful. It was Saturday morning and most of the people were enjoying their day off from the hard everyday labor that they endured through the week. Gohan almost envied them as he glazed down at the people with an awe struck look that would make most people, except his good friends, think he was in some sort of trance. Shaking his head so that his mind was not clouded with selfish thoughts Gohan pushed on passed the city until he flew over rocky mountains and away from the ocean's side, which he had been following. Trying to take the most direct route Gohan flew higher into the air in order to avoid hitting the tops of mountains and other naturally made obstacles that got into his way. In the distance Gohan looked out into the still morning sky and saw the shapes of an approaching town. Sighing with relief Gohan allowed himself a moments worth of peace as he steadied himself and flew closer to the ground.   
  
Feeling suddenly dizzy Gohan snapped open his eyes and grabbed his head with his hands. His head pounded with an almost unbearable pressure as he tried to push aside the pain just like he had done to several other pains that were now creeping their way back up. "I'm too weak to hold them off any longer..." said Gohan to himself just above a whisper. He barely heard his own voice as the strong gushes of wind blew at his face and knocked back his black hair behind his face and out of his way. He closed his eyes tightly and balled his fingers into a fist as the pain consumed his body but nevertheless he pushed himself on. He had to make it to Capsule Corp., no matter what; he had to warn the others about Tinokoto and the other androids. Gohan did not seem to notice the pain he caused on himself as small droplets of scarlet blood slipped through his tightly gripped fist from his own fingernails digging into his skin. Feeling himself slowly slip away into an unconscious state Gohan could only hope he would make it to his destination before it was too late.  
  
  
  
Piccolo stood off to the side as a small group spoke to one and other.  
"What's taking that blasted son of Kakarot so long? He should have been here hours ago." Said the hothead Vegeta as he slammed his fist down on the table he was sitting at and halfway rouse from his seat. The cups and plates that once held food and water clanged together as the table shook from Vegeta's powerful fist. Anger boiled inside of Vegeta as he was forced to wait for Kakarot's son, Gohan. "Why must my training suffer because of a young ignorant boy?" he asked to no one in particular, his annoyance was clearly shown in the way that he spoke in.  
  
"He's only an hour late, Vegeta. You are over exaggerating as normal." Said Piccolo out of the blue. The namek stood off to the side with his hands across his chest. His eyebrows looked fixed in a look of concentration as he looked up at the sky for a moment almost as if he knew Gohan would show up at time. His glaze looked away from the blue sky that surrounded the area above him as he glared at the sight of Vegeta. Taking a step toward him Piccolo let his irritation show clearly with each movement and tense muscle.  
  
"Are you looking for a fight, namek? Because if you are..." Vegeta paused and grinned at Piccolo as the super saiya-jin moved back his chair and took a step toward him. His saiya-jin armor shined in the bright ray's coming from the sun. "...You've found the right person in that case. You don't actually think you have any possibility of beating me do you?" finished Vegeta as he let out a menacing laugh that echoed through the still and quiet area of the Capsule Corp. main headquarters.  
  
Piccolo glared at Vegeta with narrowed eyes as the two tense warriors locked glazes. Piccolo took a step toward Vegeta as he narrowed the gap between the two. He balled up his green fingers into a fist, preparing to throw the first punch as Vegeta smiled amused with his arms now resting across his chest in his normal stance of dominance.  
  
"Go ahead. I dare you to even try..." said Vegeta as he let his words trail off.   
  
"Try what?" called out a voice as a tall figure with blue hair walked over to Vegeta and Piccolo carrying a tray with more food and water. The women smiled at both of them at first but quickly noticed the looks on their faces as she gave them both a disapproving look. "You guys better not be getting in another fight. You know how Gohan hates that." Said the blue haired women with some sarcasm as she moved shoulder length strands of hair away from his face and behind her ear. Clad in a simple outfit of white pants, a red tang top covered with a sleevless white pullover and a red band to keep her hair out of her face the women looked both the of men over as they both looked at her.  
  
"Stay out of his women!" said Vegeta as he turned up his nose in disgust for being interrupted.  
  
"Hey, bub, the name's Bulma. Learn it," Said Bulma as she stubbornly grinned at Vegeta. "Now you two stop fighting. I'm sure Gohan will be here any second. He's never been late before, it must be something really important if he is late." Continued Bulma as she watched both men place their backs to her. She sighed frustrated and glared at them.  
  
"That's whats worrying me, Bulma. Gohan has never been late before. I think something is happening. I sensed some high chi levels a while back but I did not realize until now that they were in the general area that Gohan goes through to come here. He might be in trouble. We need to help him!" said Piccolo as realization dawned unto him. His eyes went wide as he thought of the dangers Gohan could possibly be in from the high chi levels he had sensed.  
  
"And how do you expect we find him? I, too, sensed the chi levels but thought they were the boy's. The chi levels have all been lowered down so much that we cannot sense them anymore." Said Vegeta as he spoke the obvious.  
  
"I don't know yet, but we can fly around in the area that Gohan goes through to come here. That's our best bet in finding him." Said Piccolo as his concern was shown in his voice.  
  
"Are you kidding, we'll never find him that way. That's like trying to find a needle in a hay stack." Said the irritated Vegeta who was in no mood to go looking for the son of Kakarot.  
  
Bulma looked at the two thoughtfully as her clever mind thought of what she could do to help the situation. He had to agree that both had good points, but she agreed with Piccolo seeing his idea as the most logical. "I think we should follow Piccolo's idea. It the most logical if we want to find Gohan and I can help too. We can cover more ground if I go as well. And I won't take no as an answer." She said stubbornly as a grin escaped her ruby painted lips.  
  
"Whatever..." Bulma heard Vegeta mumble as he looked away from her glaze. His eyes narrowed in a complex mood of anger and stubbornness.  
  
  
  
Gohan felt himself slipping away slowly. His vision blurred more and more until he could not longer make out what was in front of him. All he knew was one thing: Capsule Corp. was ahead. Not even knowing how far ahead Gohan still continued on as he forced himself every inch of the way. He just hoped that he had enough energy left in him to sense out the familiar chi levels of Piccolo and Vegeta so that he could pinpoint where chi waves were and land where-ever he had sensed them.   
"I never knew you could get so weak from just one fight..." started Gohan as he groaned in pain. His muscles tensed as they tried to bare the pain being forced onto them all at one time. His legs and fingers felt cramped as he tried to loosen the fist he had made. Gohan felt as his body work against him, almost refusing to obey him. "I feel so helpless," he muttered to himself. His head hurt, he was tired, he was soaked in Kami knows how much of his own and now his fingers would not get out of a fist because they were cramped together. Gohan wished silently that he could think about the earlier fight with Tinokoto and all the information he had collected but he knew that he would only think with a dark clouded head if he even tried. Giving up on the hope of figuring something out Gohan let some of his frustration out on with sigh that backfired on him. As he inhaled the air into his lungs Gohan felt a sharp stab of pain. Internal injuries, thought Gohan as he figured that that was the cause for the suddenly pain that he had somehow surpressed until now. The sharp pain insued for several more seconds as Gohan slowed down his breaths and allowed his breathing to become shallow and distant. The pain began decreasing severely allowing Gohan to return to a calm state. Forcing with noticeable strain Gohan uncramped one of his fist and placed the sore and tense finger muscles apart, hoping that the cramps would crease now that he had been able to move his hand around a little bit. Spreading his fingers a part Gohan placed his hand over his heart and felt the rhyme of his heartbeat. His hand moved up and down slowly as he took shallow breaths causing his well-muscled body to move up and down with the motion of breathing.  
  
After a few more minutes passed when Gohan thought it best to search out Piccolo and Vegeta's chi levels. He had stopped himself from keeping a tab on them at all times in order to reserve the strength needed to do so. Allowing himself to sense out their chi he found out that they were only a short distance away. Deciding to keep the chi channel open Gohan continued on his way.  
  
A small throb began hinting its way to the top of Gohan's subconscious as he got closer and closer to the chi signals. His vision remained blurred so badly that he could not see and his eyes began to water from the constant feeling in his head. Bringing his cramped hand to his head Gohan closed his eyes tightly for only a moment and tried to smooth the pain over. 'Just a little bit longer,' he told himself as he tried again to num the pain even though it only continued to hurt him more. Finally Gohan felt himself slipping away from consciousness as the pain made him feel as if his head was being banged against a wall several times right after each other. The pain was too much for any normal person, and unbearable for a saiya-jin. The pain seemed now to consume his body as he his mind strayed over to that thin line between consciousness and unconsciousness. Then to Gohan's surprise the pain in his whole body began to num and left his mind and limbs surprisingly fast. The suddenness of the changed shocked Gohan before his clogged up mind realized that he was slipping away from the consciousness that he knew all too well to he unknown darkness of unconsciousness. The next few seconds passed extremely fast as Gohan felt his eyes become heavy and close because of the awesome weight placed on them. Then Gohan felt as his body went limb and he fell into the darkness of his mind. His body falling through the air, its only destination was the ground below.  
  
  
  
  
The hot sun beat down on Vegeta as he stood in full saiya-jin armor. His eyes aimed ahead at the figure of Piccolo and his mate, Bulma. With his arms resting across his chest he looked stubbornly at the mother of his child and at the green namek. "This is ridiculous. I'm highly doubt that anything happened and if it did why would I waste my time looking for some little brat?" said Vegeta with a look of distaste.  
  
"Vegeta, you hothead. When are you going to get over yourself and start helping someone out for a change?" said Bulma all but too serious. Her blue eyes narrowed on Vegeta as she scowled him for his behavior.  
  
"Women, how dare you address me in such a manner. I am the Prince of all Saiya-jins and deserve the respect of everyone and everything." said Vegeta as he glared at Bulma from afar. He looked at her angrily as he had so many times before.  
  
"Respect? Are you kidding me? Why don't you try treating everyone else a little bit better and then maybe you could get a little bit of this 'respect' you're talking about." Said Bulma as she placed her hands on her hips.  
  
"Don't yell at me, women." Said Vegeta as he turned his back to Bulma and looked toward the wall. His head cast up and high showing that he did not care about what Bulma had to say.  
  
"I told you not to call me 'women', boy. My name is Bulma and you know it. So use it!" said Bulma a little louder than she meant too. Anger showed clearly in her voice as he words echoed through the silence.  
  
"Don't refer to me as a b-" started Vegeta but almost as soon as he began he was interrupted by the sound of Piccolo's strong voice.  
  
"Hey guys look up there!" he said in a deep voice as he looked straight up into the sky. In the backdrop of the blue sky you could clearly see the figure of something- or someone falling from above. Piccolo's sharp eyes narrowed as he looked up at the approaching figure that came closer and closer. "That's Gohan! And he's in trouble." Yelled out the namek as he took off into to the air in order to retrieve the free falling Gohan.  
  
Piccolo flew faster than he ever thought possible as he soared through the air at the falling body of his best friend Gohan. His mind filled with worry as he glazed at the unconscious body. Picking up more speed he neared the body of Gohan at a surprising rate. Grabbing the limp body into both his arm Piccolo quickly looked the boy over and was amazed too see all the damage he had endured. "How could this have happened?" he said aloud as Vegeta caught up to him.  
  
"About time that brat shows up..." began Vegeta but he immediately stopped when he saw the state in which Gohan was in. "How did this happen?" he asked the namek with a look of surprise written across his face.  
  
"I don't know anymore than you. The only thing I know is that Gohan needs our help. Go and tell Bulma that we need to get him some help before it's too late." Said Piccolo with a menacing look toward Vegeta. The Prince of the Saiya-jins bit his lip before finally agreeing with a nod and flying down to Bulma to tell her about Gohan. Piccolo watched the scene for only a moment as he brought Gohan down to the ground; the younger boy lying limp in his arm. He saw as Bulma took one quick glance toward himself and Gohan before pointing to one of the neighboring buildings and running toward it. Piccolo nodded and landed on the ground. His long strides already following the direction Bulma had pointed too.   
  
Vegeta waited for him to land and walked along side him. He glanced uneasily between the sight of the boy and the building quickly approaching. After a silent moment he broke the silence and said, "Is he alive?"   
  
The question almost shocked Piccolo as he strayed a quick glance toward Vegeta then back to Gohan's unconscious body. "I don't know. He's breathing if that is what you mean." Replied the namek as he entered one of the many Capsule Corp. buildings. He saw Vegeta give a quick nod as the super saiya-jin walked over to the side and waited to see what would be done. Piccolo immediately walked by the worried Bulma who was placing bandages on a small tray. Placing the unconscious body of Gohan on a near by table that he saw, Piccolo looked him over carefully with a worried eye.   
  
"Oh my Kami!" said Bulma louder than she wanted too as she walked next to Piccolo. "He looks horrible. What could have done this to him?" asked Bulma as she placed the tray to the side and began using her vast knowledge of medicine to heal some of the wounds that Gohan had gotten. A worried expression crossed her face as she peeled a blood soaked section of his gi up and looked at a deep wound that was just beginning to stop bleed. Looking over to the tray next to the table that Gohan was lying on Bulma grabbed a black bottle that was not labeled. Grabbing one of the bandages as well she opened up the bottle and poured the tanish looking liquid onto the bandage then placed the soaked bandage over one of Gohan various wounds. A groan escaped from Gohan's lips as he was brought back to consciousness through immense pain. After a few seconds had passed he stopped and fell back into the darkness.  
  
"I don't know." Was the namek's only reply as he painfully watched the display with Gohan. 'The kids hurt bad this time,' he thought as he siftened uneasily as he moved off to the side to give Bulma room.  
  
Bulma gave a silent thank you and want to work immediately. Trying her hardest to repair the wounds that had been brought onto Gohan.  
  
  
  
  
  
Frustration, anger, and pain worked its way through Gohan's body. The young super saiya-jin looked out into the blankness of what he thought was unconsciousness. He looked down at his body absently and noticed that all his wounds were gone and the pain he felt throughout his body was dulled. Looking around the area all Gohan saw was darkness with no backdrop nor sound. He could hear his own breathing clearly as the saiya-jin took a step forward. His boots echoed through the area as he took a few more steps when he suddenly froze. A look of great shock crossed his face as his mouth opened and his breathing became harder. His hands unknowingly trembled at his sides as he held his breath. He could not breath, he could not feel, he was shocked. His eyes widened as he stared in front of himself at the sight of his father, Goku. Tears formed the corners of his eyes as they gently fell down his soft cheeks. "Daddy..." he barely breathed the word as his confident father walked out of some unknown space. Goku grinned all too familiarly and stopped walking mere feet from his son. Gohan felt his muscles tense, as he looked his father up and down. Taking a deep breath he tried to vainly to control himself and his emotions, knowing all too well that there was no way to describe how he was feeling. He wondered if he was dreaming.  
  
"Hi Gohan," said Goku as he smiled at the smaller Gohan. The simple words and the thought of hearing his voice brought back hundreds of memories to Gohan. The past flooded inside of himself and he did not try to stop it.  
  
Gohan felt himself at a loss for words as his father spoke to him. He spoke to him! Gohan could not believe this was actually happening. Opening his mouth he tried to speak but found himself at a loss for words.  
  
"It's okay Gohan, I know you must be pretty surprised to see me again." Said Goku as he paused for a moment. He considered his words carefully as he looked down at his son.  
  
"Daddy, I missed you." Said Gohan as he interrupted Goku's thoughts. The young super saiya-jin could not help but tell his father how he had felt over the years. All the pain, anger, remorse. The thoughts of losing his father and having to protect the world without him. He tried to sum it all up in a few words but he knew that would be impossible. Instead he spoke from his heart. He truly and utterly had missed his father.  
  
Goku smiled at the younger and smaller version of himself- with the exception of the wild black hair that landed in different spots. "I missed you too son, but unfortunately my time is limited. There's something I have to tell you about and fast." Said Goku as a serious look crossed his face. Gohan tensed at his words but nodded nevertheless. 'He's stronger, much stronger' thought Goku as he look at his son with much pride. "Gohan I'm sorry that I could not tell about this sooner, but there no way possible for me to get to you in this state any earlier. Today you fought with a bio-android named Tinokoto. He's a creation of a scientist named Dr. Kinson, who is after something on Earth. I'm not sure what, but I have a feeling that its nothing good. I need you to protect the Earth, Gohan. I know it's hard, but everyone is counting on you. You need to watch out for those bio-androids. I've heard that they're from some other planet that has amazing technology, far surpassing Earth's technology. Gohan, please be careful. My time is running short, I have to leave soon." Said Goku, a look of sorrow slowly crossing his face as he spoke about the uneventful things to come. He looked at his son who was obviously not happen about the situation from the look clearly shown on his face.  
  
Gohan felt frustration. 'More problems and more things depended on me!' he thought as he tried vainly to control his temper. He felt his insides boil as his anger rose. He could not hold himself to believe that someone was after the Earth again and had the upper hand. Gohan balled his fingers into a fist and breathed deeply. He no longer felt the stabbing pain in his lungs as he took the deep breaths, trying to control himself. "Dad, how do you know this?" he asked trying to allude his anger somewhere else. He managed to surpress the anger for the moment. His mind slowly cleared and then thoughts of not seeing his father again in only a few moments filled his mind. Fresh tears began pouring down his face as he waited for his father's answer.  
  
"I can't say Gohan, its for your own good that I don't." replied Goku with a sour look. He looked at Gohan and noticed immediately how upset he was. Obviously he had taken the news harder than he thought. A tingle began to erupt through Goku's body; he instantly knew what was happening. A look of panic crossed his face as he looked at Gohan. "Gohan, I have to go now. My time is running up," said Goku his voice sounded weak almost as if it were fading away and were only a mere echo.  
  
Gohan felt panic gripping him. "No daddy! You can't go, don't leave me alone anymore! I miss you so much." Said Gohan as the words stumbled out of his mouth. He felt sorrow grip him as he watched his father shake his head sadly. "Please..." he begged knowing deep down inside that no matter what he said Goku was still going to leave him. He felt his knees go weak as he desperately looked at his father, hoping so hard that he would stay with him for just a little bit longer.  
  
"Sorry Gohan. It'll be okay, don't worry so much. Just be ready! I'll miss you!" said Goku as cheerfully as possible. He forced a smile on his face as he watched his son desperately trying to keep him there. He knew there was no way possible for him to stay. He had to leave and now. "Bye Gohan, be safe." Said Goku as he slowly began fading away. He grinned at Gohan reassuringly and waved goodbye.  
  
"No daddy! Stay, please stay!" called out Gohan vainly as he watched his father disappear right in front of him. As the tall imagine of his father disappeared he found himself in the blackness of the empty room. Pain sized Gohan as his thoughts took the better of him. He screamed aloud and fell down to his knees. Anger, so much anger boiled inside of him. He felt himself give away as he slammed a balled up fist into the ground. The ground shook violently as Gohan became engulfed in his own rage. Tears poured down his face as he tried to control himself. It was impossible.   
  
"Daddy...why did you leave me again?" he called out into the darkness. Closing his eyes tightly Gohan breathed deeply. It hurt so much to lose his father a second time that the pain engulfed him and made him pay. Then suddenly he could feel himself beginning to tire and fall to the ground unconscious, yet again.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hey guys, take a look at this," said Bulma as she looked with a critical eye toward the unconscious body of Gohan. Pulling several blue strands of hair from her well-defined face she moved them away from her line of vision and back behind her ear.   
  
Piccolo and Vegeta both walked over to Bulma from their places off to the side where they had been waiting patiently for news on how Gohan had been doing.   
  
"What is it?" said Piccolo immediately as he stood next to the shorter figure of Bulma.   
  
Bulma showed a look of worry as she picked up Gohan's limp hand and showed it to Piccolo and Vegeta. "Well look for yourself." She said as she made sure they both could see.  
  
"I don't see anything the matter, women. He just has his hand in a fist. Big deal..." said Vegeta but his words soon trailed off as Bulma shot a warning glance toward him. He folded his arms across his chest and ignored the look.  
  
"Well, bozo, in case you haven't noticed his hand is stuck. I think its because his muscles are cramped up. I'm going to have to do a lot of work to untense his muscles and release his hand. Something really must have had him worried in order to made him this tense." Said Bulma as she worked her fingers in circles around the key muscle points. "An hour of this and I should be able to loosen his hand." She declared as she gingerly placed his hand back on the steel table. "Now, moving on..." she paused as she walked over by Gohan's head. She pointed with her index finger toward a few long scars that ran down the side of his cheek. The wounds were now closed and had already begun healing due to Gohan's super saiya-jin heritage.   
  
"What made those wounds?" asked Piccolo who had been taking in the scene in silence until now. He looked over Gohan with a worried expression. 'Who could have done this?' he thought in awe.  
  
"Well, I would say that from the angle these wounds are coming from it looks like someone punched him. Although that person must of had some sort of weapon or claws on his or her's knuckles or fingers in order to cause this much damage. Either that or they seriously need to cut their finger nails." Bulma paused and let out a little chuckle at her own joke but quickly stopped as she saw that the others did not find it funny. "Anyway, on his back there is also another wound that a little bit different from the normal wounds you would get from fighting. Now, I know what caused this wound. It's a long thick line that runs across his back; this one was obviously made by a tail attack. I've seen them before in magazines so I can recognize one." Finished Bulma as she smiled proudly at her accomplishments.   
  
"Any bright ideas on just who attacked the brat?" asked Vegeta openly irritated with the whole ordeal. He looked between Bulma and Piccolo for some sort of answer.  
  
"I really don't know..." said Bulma slowly. She glanced back down at Gohan with a worried expression.  
  
Piccolo quickly discarded Vegeta's question and looked at Bulma. "How much longer until he will be healed?" he asked her quickly.  
  
"I don't know...Um, maybe a few days. With all that saiya-jin blood running through him it probably won't take to long." Said Bulma as she saw Vegeta smirk at the compliments about the saiya-jins. She ignored his arrogant looks and gave Piccolo a questioning look. "Why?" she finally asked after a few moments of silence. Concern edged into her voice as she spoke.  
  
"Gohan is a strong fighter. Whoever attacked him obviously is also strong. We'll need Gohan's help if we have any hope of defeating this thing- whatever it is that attacked him. Gohan's the strongest fighter we have on Earth, we need him." Said Piccolo with a short pause. He waited for that pause to be filled with some comment  
from Vegeta about him being the most power saiya-jin, but was surprised when he heard nothing from him. Continuing Piccolo asked, "Do you have any idea about how much longer until he will regain consciousness? At least when he is awake we will be able to figure out what happened."  
  
"Hey listen you two, Gohan is really hurt right now. You need to stop worrying about fighting this person and worry more about Gohan's safety for a while! Now you two help me move him into one of the rooms in my house, so he can rest peacefully and in a comfy bed. Then we can talk about a plan to deal with this person." Said Bulma, surprising both warriors with her furious comeback. "Get to it!" she barked as Piccolo nodded.  
  
"Okay..." he mumbled reluctantly. Walking over to the table that Gohan laid on he gingerly picked Gohan up from the steel cold table. His arms and legs dangled limply from beneath him as Piccolo followed Bulma out of building and over to her house. Vegeta followed behind slowly.  
  
To be continued...  
  
  
  
  



	3. GJ - Part 3

  
  
Okay, to my surprise I was able to write chapter three in GJ this week considering I have really busy! I'm happy with how fast this fic. is going by! Although I find that this next chapter is pitifully short...it only came up as just ten pages long on my computer...what a bummer. The other two chapters were both over ten pages so this is the shortest chapter so far. I would have made it longer but I thought that it was the best time to stop this chapter. The next chapter is in for a long haul.  
  
  
  
Gohan's Journey  
Chapter III  
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Pain was the most dominant feeling that seemed consume Gohan's mind as he slowly began to ease back into consciousness. He could feel his body aching and tensing with unimaginable pain that seemed unbearable for his small, compact and very human body. Although his saiya-jin heritage had helped him bare and heal his wounds he knew that he would not be a live if it had not been for that fast healing ability and tolerance for pain that he pocessed from that heritage. Gohan highly doubted he would still be alive if he had not had that ability to help him through those hard times and battles. Struggling against the sharp pain that covered his chest as he breathed Gohan began slowing his breathing down so that the pain dimmed to a mere ache rather than a stabbing sensation that hit this lungs full force. Although feeling short of breathe Gohan forced himself to endure.  
  
His mind came reeling back to consciousness slowly at first. He immediately knew so as he began to feel the pain returning all over his body. His head swam as an odd dizziness consumed his consciousness and prevented him from thinking with his normal clear head. Finding a headache fastly forming Gohan tried vainly to clear his mind before it became too unbearable to stand for any longer. The pain he felt seemed to dim somewhat as Gohan's mind worked to ease the pain that he felt and clear his mind so that he could think more clearly. So much had happened in less than a few hours time that it was almost too much for Gohan to put together and contemplate. Feelings that had long ago, or just recently been dealt with came rushing back to Gohan as he tried to force them away for the moment. He knew he would have to deal with them eventually, but he also knew that he could not worry about them now. No matter what those emotions would still be there after this ordeal had been dealt with. Gohan, knowing that the bio-androids and his father's words had raised a majority of these problems he could not help become frustrated. His father had raised new questions into his mind as well as making sorrow an overwhelming feeling spreading its throughout his body, bringing new and old pains alive once again. Gohan loved his father so much that it had hurt him and others dearly. And now was one of those times. Pushing away the thoughts for a different time Gohan felt himself faced with a struggle to stay conscious. Though, he had yet to even open his eyes Gohan new that when he did he would be faced with a new strife: defeating the bio-androids alone. The thought seemed maddening to Gohan as he remembered the battle clearly. He could remember his frustration pain, anger, and his hate towards the powerful bio-android named Tinokoto. He also remembered how scared the other androids seemed to be toward Tinokoto. They obviously thought him to be the most powerful out of the large group.  
  
Reluctantly Gohan tried to open his heavy eyelids, which seemed to feel like weights from a lack of sleep. His eyes slowly flickered open as a slow moment went by. Gohan saw blurred imagines around the small room that he found himself in. Something seemed oddly familiar about the place. 'How did I get here?' he wondered as his vision slowly began to clear and he was able to make out objects more clearly. 'The last thing I remember was falling when....' His thoughts trailed off as he painfully tried to move his head to see better. A sharp pain went down through his neck as it made him stop moving abruptly, causing him to bite down hard on his teeth and close his eyes tightly. From outside the room he could hear voices coming from another room but they were muffled by the door. Ignoring the voices for the moment Gohan tried to figure out where he was as the pain he felt began to lessen and he was able to open his eyes again. Looking around painfully Gohan suddenly noticed a label on one of the objects in the room. He narrowed his eyes and tried to read the label from his still blurred vision that seemed to taunt him as the words came into focus.  
  
Capsule Corporation.  
  
Gohan let out a grateful sigh until he realized his sudden mistake. He felt pricing pain fill his lungs as he tried to let out a small sigh. Trying to get the air out of his lungs he slowed his breath somewhat, hoping to ease the pain by doing so. The pain slowly creased to a dim ache again as Gohan slowed his breath down and relaxed. Letting his relief show that he had made it to the Capsule Corp. headquarters through a look of contempment Gohan allowed himself a moment of peace as he tried to calm his hurting body. He dared not move a muscle, knowing already that they were sore and hurt beyond moving at the moment. He only hoped that he would heal soon and be able to fight with Tinokoto and the other bio-androids soon enough. They had beaten him once, but Gohan was not about to allow it to happen again.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Bulma stood with her hands placed firmly on her hips as she watched the two figures of Piccolo and Vegeta argue about what to do with who had hurt Gohan. Or at least they thought that someone had hurt him. Bulma, who was becoming very frustrated with the matter, had decided to remain quiet on the subject for a change. Normally she would be throwing little comments and complaints about what should be done and how she could help, but for some reason she felt herself not wanting to join in. She admitted it to herself, she was afraid of whoever or whatever had hurt Gohan. Gohan was the most powerful fighter on the Earth since his father had passed away three years ago and whatever happened on his way here obviously was powerful. Bulma just could not bring herself to think that something could be that powerful after the way that Gohan, with the help of everyone else, had been able to beat Cell. It was ridiculous as Vegeta was saying. Her husband, the arrogant fool, was going on and on about how they did not need to worry about whoever had attacked Gohan- although he referred to him as a "brat" or "the brat of Kakarot". She loved the man, as Bulma had admitted on several occasions without a return, but sometimes he just got on her nerves and now was one of those times.  
  
"You don't actually think that will work do you?" started Vegeta with a laugh. He had been listening to plan Piccolo had thought up when he found the plan utterly stupid. "Why even bother? You all know full well that I am the Prince of all Saiya-jins, thus stating that I am the most powerful. These pests are no match for me. I'm sure they just out-witted that little brat of Kakarot and got the better of him with a few punches." He laughed menacingly as he stood with his arms across his chest. His lips curved a grin as he waited for Piccolo's reply.  
  
"Vegeta when will you learn that you are not the most powerful. Your son, Gohan, and Goku... have all surpassed your powers. You remain fourth as far as my knowledge holds." Said Piccolo coolly. He had had enough of Vegeta and his constant comments about how he was the strongest fighter in the world. Piccolo was not sure how much longer he would be able to put with him. He never did get along with the self-centered saiya-jin anyway.  
  
"Will you guys just shut up and stop worrying about all that nonsense! There are more important things to be worrying about than who is all 'the mighty and strongest person in the world,' you know." Yelled out Bulma, adding a lot of sacarsm to her last sentence. Unable to contain her anger at the two for fighting over such a stupid matter Bulma looked between the two angrily. She fought with herself to keep control of her temper as she took her hands from her hips and let them hang at her sides with a sigh. "Okay, now if we can move on...Just how are you guys planning on finding this "person"? I doubt you guys will be able to at the rate you are figuring things out. I'm pretty sure that after a battle with Gohan they'll high tail it outta here. And what makes you guys even think that the person is even alive? Gohan did come back after all. Did you even think about that, huh?...Well?" said Bulma. She let a small smile curve onto her ruby lips as she waited for their reply. "I'm waiting," she continued to taunt them as the silence continued.  
  
Piccolo look at Bulma as he thought about her words. It was true, he knew all too well, that they did not even know if the person was dead or not. Gohan had come back, he reasoned as his thoughts deepened. "Bulma, it does not matter whether we know if this person is alive or not, what matters is that we know if this person is coming back or not. It's for everyone's safety that we make sure that this problem is solved." Piccolo finally said as the silence drew on. He knew deep down inside that he would not stand for innocents to be hurt because he did not take the time to make sure the attacker was destroyed. A mistake like that would not be exceptable, and Piccolo knew that well enough.  
  
Bulma reasoned with Piccolo. She knew he had his points but there was one thing that she knew for sure: they needed Gohan. "Yeah Piccolo, I guess you have a point there. But one thing is for sure, we need Gohan's help. When he wakes up he'll be able to tell us just what happened and we'll also know where this all took place. I don't think you guys should do anything about this until we get that straightened out. Otherwise you're just wasting your time." Said Bulma as she spoke her mind. Moving from the wall she had been leaning against the young women walked over to a table by the others, jumped on top of it and sat with her legs crossed and her arms folded across her chest. "Let's just be honest. You know that if you go out now you'll just be wasting your time." Continued Bulma after the short silence. Her glaze looked away from Piccolo for a moment and towards Vegeta who had remained silent since they had started talking things over. Thinking this odd, she looked back over to Piccolo and waited for his respondence to her statement.  
  
"Fine, then we will wait until Gohan wakes up until we begin to search." Said Piccolo simply as he waited for anyone that was against his idea to speak up. He heard nothing as the moment of silence passed slowly. "It's agreed on then." With that the namek looked over to the doorway of the room Gohan was resting in. "Just hope the kid wakes up soon." Said the namek barely above a whisper.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Gohan tried weakly to move his sore arms. Pain shot through them as the young super saiya-jin closed his eyes to ward off the pain. The pain continued on for several more seconds until it finally creased to be more than an ache. 'Just like the rest of my body,' thought Gohan bitterly as he felt every part of his body through an ache or pain. He hurt everywhere and it felt almost impossible to move. Opening his eyes again Gohan looked down at himself. A warm thick blanket covered Gohan's lower body as he lay in a soft comfy bed. His shirt was placed on a nearby table and his chest was clad with bandages that he figured where covering up wounds. As he looked over some of the bandages he noticed most of them were soaked in his own blood that had come from wounds that had yet to be sealed by anything other than dried blood. Sighing as lightly as possible so that he did not hurt himself Gohan tried again to move into a sitting position. Using all his strength and bearing whatever he could Gohan still found himself not able to move any farther than an inch above the bed. Short of breath and thinking of giving up for the time being Gohan allowed himself to slowly slip back onto the soft mattress. His back ached from where he had been hit with the tail attack from Tinokoto, but he ignored it along with many other things. As he was resting there for several seconds his thought began to carry him away. Closing his eyes Gohan saw the past flash pass him.  
  
Several years ago....  
  
"Dad!" called out a young and soft voice. "Hey dad where are you?" continued the child's voice. A small figure popped out of the edge of a forest thick dark forest and ran into the long lanes of grass that covered a field. The small figure seemed to be running toward a larger figure, who stood in the middle of the grassy field. The small child ran quickly toward the larger person as a small long tail trailed behind him.  
  
"Hi Gohan!" called out the larger man who was Gohan's father. Goku smiled at his son as he bent down to catch Gohan in arms and hug him. Gohan ran into his father's arms and the two embraced for a moment. Then Goku stood up with Gohan resting in his arms. The young Gohan crawled out of his father's arms and onto his shoulders where he sat with a smile lighting up his face. Goku let out a laugh as he held onto Gohan's legs with his large hands.  
  
"Where have you been dad? I was waiting for you!" said the little Gohan as he pulled at Goku's long strands of black hair as his small tail hit lightly against Goku's back.  
  
"Ouch! Hey watch it!" said Goku with a laugh. He rumbled with Gohan's hands to try and get his hands off his hair. Gohan only laughed harder as they both began to walk toward their home.  
  
More memories floated by....  
  
"Daddy!" yelled out a strong voice loudly.  
  
"I'm sorry Gohan but I have to do this. Watch out for your mother, okay? I'll be seeing you around." Said Goku as he stood with one hand resting on a bloated up version of Cell. The hideous creature was fat beyond belief and ready to explode at any minute as Goku placed a hand firmly on his stomach, the other reaching to his forehead. He smiled down at his son, Gohan, who stood in dumbshock. A count down began from Cell's swollen lips as Goku strayed a glance toward the hateful being then back to his son.  
  
"Don't go daddy!" yelled out Gohan as his blonde hair flew madly around his face. Tears began pouring down his soft cheeks as he watched his father give everything up for the planet he loved so much. A pained look crossed his face as he watched his father hopelessly. "Please..." he breathed the last word as he saw his confident father wish him a good bye and teleport the exploding Cell away from the Earth and to another planet. "No!" yelled out Gohan as he tried to run at the place where his father had stood only a second ago. He stumbled across the rocky ground as he searched through the massively growing dust. But he found nothing as he looked desperately around. New tears swelled up in his eyes as he the thoughts came crashing in. With tears now pouring freely down his cheeks Gohan wept over his father's death.  
  
  
  
  
The past was brought out of the present as Gohan snapped back to reality. Sorrow sized his heart and engulfed him as he breathed hard, not caring about the pain he was inflicting upon himself. He did not care about anything anymore. All he cared about now was not being alone and not having his father anymore. He had thought he had settled everything with his father's death, but now he knew that that was not true. That he had actually not settled anything at all, that he had only hidden the past until now. More thoughts and emotions poured into him as he helplessly lay in bed with tears beginning to pour down his soft cheeks. His eyes widened with intensively as he tried to control his emotions. It was hopeless and he knew that all too well. Finding himself unable to control himself Gohan's hair flashed blonde then black. His eyes changing from their normal black color to teal then back again. Breathing harder Gohan began to feel the strain on his lungs as he continued to try and regain control. He was too weak to deal with this now and he was not sure how much longer he would be able to stand it.  
  
Sitting straight up he ignored the pain that engulfed his body and tried to rip him apart. He could feel his sorrow becoming channeled into one outlet. He knew that was why he was transforming into a super saiya-jin now instead of when he wanted too, it was the only logical reason. Although Gohan was not sure what was logical at the moment. His mind was a mess and he could not think clearly. His hair and eyes flashed again and this time stayed as Gohan breathed heavily in his super saiya-jin form. Rage engulfed him as he ripped the bandages from his chest and felt a small sting as the tape pulled at his skin.  
  
Reaching for one of his shirts Gohan grabbed his navy blue weight shirt and quickly put it on as he threw the covers from his bed and swung his legs over the bed. More pain continued to taunt him but he again pushed it away. He knew he would pay for this later as he had already done before. Placing his bare feet on the cold cement surface he stood up immediately but soon found his feet fall under him as he fell to the ground. Too weak to try to stand up again Gohan curled up into a ball, hugging his knees with his arms. He then placed his forehead on his knees and closed his eyes slowly. Pain was the feeling that passed through him as his tears began to pour down his cheeks. He wept uncontrollably.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Vegeta stood watching Bulma and Piccolo talk about what to do once Gohan had awoken. The Prince of all Saiya-jins watched their talk without interest as he waited silently. He had been trying to ignore their batter when he had felt it. At first it had only been a small sensation, but it was close; almost too close. Vegeta quickly glanced toward Piccolo who had also seemingly noticed the small flicker of chi as it raised then fell quickly. "Did you just..." he began but stopped almost immediately as Piccolo figured out what he was talking about and nodded. The chi level raised to an intense amount and Vegeta knew exactly where it was coming from as he felt the familiar chi level raise continuously. The boy...he was beginning to think when he heard Piccolo's voice, which upset his thoughts and sent him looking toward the green namek in surprise.  
  
"Let's go!" said Piccolo immediately as he ran the short distance across the room and over to the door where they had left Gohan. Vegeta said nothing and followed only a step behind him as he pulled the door open and gasped as he looked inside.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Gohan's head snapped up in surprise as he saw Piccolo and Vegeta race through the door. He could hear Bulma shouting at them from behind as she tried to sneak pass them and see what was going on. Quickly using the back of his hand Gohan wiped away the tears from his eyes and cheeks. His golden hair and teal eyes slowly faded back to their normal color as he let himself out of his super saiya-jin form and into his normal form. Tired, sore, and upset Gohan looked up at the figures of Piccolo and Vegeta as they stared down at him. Gohan felt the tang of guilt as he looked up at two people he had called friends for so long, for some reason he felt as if he could not face up to them right now and he knew exactly why. As he began to ponder these new thoughts Bulma managed to push her way past the two broad warriors and looked at Gohan with her mouth ajar.  
  
"Hey Gohan you're awake! Now why did you get out of bed when you should be resting? I hope you aren't thinking of going anywhere until you are better." Said Bulma as she immediately threw questions and comments at the helpless Gohan, who had no chance to even try to reply. Piccolo and Vegeta quickly exchanged glances then looked down at Gohan.  
  
Piccolo ignored Bulma's constant questions and looked straight at Gohan. "Gohan, what happened to you? We found you falling out of the sky unconscious. How did you get so hurt?" asked the namek as he walked over to Gohan and stood well above him. He looked down at him with stone eyes as he waited for his answer.  
  
Gohan opened to his mouth to speak when he heard no voice come out. He sighed and winced as pain hit his lungs. A moment went by as the pain slowly faded away and allowed Gohan the chance to answer. "I...I got into a fight..." he said barely above a whisper. His voice sounded hoarse and low as his lungs strained to form words.  
  
Piccolo noticed his struggle and did not press him into answering quickly. "With who?" continued Piccolo as he waited for Gohan's reply. Placing his arms across his chest he waited pactiently.  
  
Gohan paused for a moment as he let go of his legs with his arms and tried to stand. Gohan knew needed to get up before his legs began to cramped up like his hands had done and he knew if he stayed in that position much longer they would. Painfully Gohan forced his jelly feeling legs up and almost clasped under his own weight again. Luckily Piccolo reached out a hand and grabbed him before he fell and helped him sit on the edge of the bed. Gohan nodded a thanks to his friend.  
  
"You should rest Gohan, you're still weak." Said Bulma as she stood in the doorway next to Vegeta. Her voice edged with motherly concern that he had heard from her many times whenever Trunks was hurt.  
  
"I'm-I'm okay Bulma." He replied weakly and tired to take a deep breath. He breathed through his teeth slowly as a relieved look crossed his face. Looking back toward Piccolo, Gohan said, "It was an android." A look of great shock crossed everyone's faces as they heard the words.  
  
"Another android? Are you sure boy?" said Vegeta; he was the first of the four to speak. He looked questioningly at Gohan as if he was not sure the boy was telling the truth.   
  
"I'm sure it was a bio-android." Said Gohan more clearly than he had before. He felt his lungs clear and speaking became easier as he spoke more. The pain he felt in his lungs seemed to crease somewhat as he talked more. Relieved that he would not be bothered with his lungs as he talked Gohan waited for the next question knowing that many more would soon follow. Some, he was afraid, he would not be able to answer no matter how hard he tried.  
  
"How do you know for certain?" the next question came from Piccolo as he looked at Gohan sharply. The green figure locked eyes with Gohan who looked at him uncertainly. Something was bothering the boy, and Piccolo could feel it.  
  
"He told me, the android that is. Him and well..." Gohan's words trailed off as he slowly closed his eyes. He pushed back painful memories that would not leave him as he tried vainly to control himself. Taking a deep breath Gohan opened his eyes and looked back to the others. "My dad told me." He said quietly so that they would be the only ones to hear his voice. He wondered suddenly if they would think that he was crazy for thinking that his father had actually told him after he had been dead for several years.   
  
"What? Goku? How...that's impossible." Words stumbled out of Piccolo's mouth as he tried to clearly understand Gohan. 'How could his father have told him? He has been dead for three years. What happened during that fight...I do not understand.' Thought Piccolo as he tried to reason with what Gohan had just told him. He found the situation to be quite unconshensible as he looked at Gohan with wide eyes.  
  
"Kakarot is still alive...?" ventured Vegeta as he listened to Gohan. His eyes widened as he thought of the news from a different view.  
  
"No, no, you guys don't understand." Said Gohan slowly, frustration was apparent as he spoke with strained words. He tried to think of the best possible way to explain but no way seemed to come to him. Deciding that the best approaching was the simple one, Gohan told them the simplest way he could think of. "When I was unconscious my dad came to me and warned me about the androids that had attacked me on my way here..." began Gohan as he began to tell Vegeta, Bulma, and Piccolo about what had happened before they had found him. They listened to him amazed as he retold the story, making sure to include even the smallest detail that he could remember.  
  
Gohan started his recount of what happened when he first saw the smoke in the distance on his way to Capsule Corp. to meet Piccolo and Vegeta. He than went on to tell them about Tinokoto and the other androids. Vegeta, Bulma, and Piccolo glanced at each other unsteadily as they took in the news about their incredible powers and how they had defeated Gohan. Gohan found it harder and harder to speak about them as he neared the part where he had fled. "I know it was stupid of me to leave." He began slowly as he looked down at the ground, guilt written on his face clearly. "But, I did not want to be captured. I wanted to come back and tell you guys about what had happened. I couldn't beat them alone, and I knew it. I had given them the upper hand and they had taken my moment of weakness and used it against me." Continued Gohan as he forced tears away. His voice cracked as he spoke words he wished he would never have to utter again. He had run away again, just like he had when he was a kid. Those thoughts seemed to be haunting the young saiya-jin as he continued on with the story.  
  
Several more minutes passed by until Gohan finally came to the end of what had happened. He told them about how he was dizzy and could not see then how the last thing he remembered before going unconscious was falling to the ground. Then reluctantly Gohan went on to tell them about the dream he had about his father warning him about the bio-androids. Looking up from the ground and to the faces of his friends he wondered if they believed what he had said. Adding a last bit of information Gohan went silent as he finished telling them everything he knew. His lungs burned from speaking so much but he ignored them and hoped he would be able to get some painkillers from Bulma later.  
  
A long drawn out silence followed as everyone seemed to be thinking about what Gohan had just told them. Gohan looked between everyone and wondered what they were thinking until he finally broke the silence. "I want to go back to where I fought them." He said simply as he began to sit up. But he felt himself being pushed back down as Piccolo's hand rested on his shoulder. The strong hand held him down into a sitting position easily as he locked glazes with the younger boy.  
  
"You're not going anywhere. You need to rest up." he said as he looked toward Vegeta who was obviously ready to go and find the bio-androids. He nodded toward the saiya-jin and looked back at Gohan. "We will come back for you later. You rest for now." He said as he released his iron grip from Gohan's shoulder and walked over to the door. Vegeta stepped back as he walked through the door and the two warriors disappeared from Gohan's view.   
  
"No! Wait for me, I want to come too. I know how they fight, I have to come!" yelled out Gohan as he began to get up and followed them. Bulma stepped in front of him before he had a chance to even stand and gave him a warning look.  
  
"You aren't going anywhere. Piccolo is right, you need to rest. They'll be fine on their own. You don't need to worry about them. You're hurt right now and you need to get better. Now why don't you try and get some more rest. I'll call Chi-Chi and tell her you are here." Said Bulma as she turned around to leave. She gave Gohan one last look as she slipped out of the room and closed the door behind her.  
  
Gohan clenched his teeth together tightly and mumbled as he made a fist with his hand. "Why didn't they let me go with them. They know they need my help. I have to help them!" said Gohan got up from the bed he had been sitting on. To his surprise his legs held and he was able to stand better than earlier. Relieved Gohan looked around the room for his orange pull over and his boots. Gohan immediately noticed his orange pull over shirt on the table. His cold feet hit lightly against the cement floor as Gohan walked across the room to grab the shirt. Pulling it over and tying it on its normal place over the weight shirt Gohan then looked around the room for his boots. After a few seconds of looking around the small room Gohan was able to spot them under the bed. He reached his hand under the bed and quickly pulled them out as he sat back down on the bed and put them on. Hopping on one foot to put on the last shoe on Gohan half rouse from the bed and looked around the room to make sure he had everything he needed.   
  
"Now getting out of here is the problem." Said Gohan aloud to himself as looked around the room for an option. Placing a hand on his chin he thought the question over in his mind carefully. After a few minutes of thinking he finally figured out that he could get out through the front door but Bulma would most likely find him and make him go back to bed. Looking around the room for another option Gohan noticed something he had not noticed before around the room he was in. A window! Walking over to his bed Gohan pulled away the curtain and found a window on the other side. Thankful that he had suddenly noticed the window Gohan pulled back one of the sides of the window as it opened with a small creak. Making sure that the coast was clear Gohan quickly slipped through the window and flew off in the direction of where he had fought with Tinokoto and the other androids. To Gohan's surprise he saw the sun was already setting and stars could be barely seen as the sky darkened to reveal them. "How long was I unconscious?" he wondered as he sped up in hopes of catching up to Vegeta and Piccolo.  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
  
Is it just me or are my versions of Piccolo and Vegeta..well slightly off? I'm not sure yet but I feel like I am starting to drift away from their character personalities. I think I basically have Bulma down, and Gohan is my all time fav character so I know his personality. And Goku is my second fav character so I know his personality too. Anyway, just a little curious since I thought their personalities were a little off in this chapter...Oh well, I'm not the best writer with other characters besides those two all time charming characters named..oh well you know who I'm talking about...LLG!  



	4. GJ - Part 4

This chapter actually came out a little shorter than I was hoping for...oh well, anyway, this chapter is mainly warping up some feelings of the characters, in case you're wondering about what the point of writing this section is.   
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Gohan's Journey  
Chapter IV  
  
  
  
Gohan felt a chill run down his spine as he flew through the air. The wind whipped in his face causing his eyes to sting as small droplets of rain began to pour down from the sky. The darkness of the night neared as the sun disappeared behind a mountain's tall side. Gohan sighed as he crossed the land and water quickly. He moved faster than he thought possible as the young saiya-jin tried desperately to reach his friends. He knew the androids were more powerful than they were, he had to help them before it was too late; before they were hurt from his actions. Gohan bit the tip of his lip as he continued on. He remembered when he was just a little kid and it was acceptable for him to be afraid and to run away. He knew his father would have accepted that he had been afraid and fled back then but now was he was grown up that was not an option. He had a responsibility that he had to fulfill now. And now was one of those responsibilities. He had to help Vegeta and Piccolo, whether they wanted his help or not. Gohan knew full well that he was not prepared to wait in some bed while his friends fought against powerful androids by themselves. He would not allow it too happen, not as long as he was still alive.   
  
Glancing over his shoulder Gohan looked toward the direction where the Capsule Corp. buildings were located. He strained his dark eyes to make out the familiar shapes of the roofs of the several buildings, but could not see any as the storm clouds cut his vision in half. Gohan just hoped that Bulma would not be mad that he had left.  
  
  
  
  
Bulma looked up from her computer screen. Looking toward the window she noticed several clouds gathering over the small town that she called home. "Those guys are nuts. You'd never catch me out there looking for a fight in this weather!" said Bulma to herself with a small chuckle that quickly drifted away as a worried look crossed her face. "I just hope they're okay. Gohan was pretty beaten up when we found him. Vegeta...Piccolo...you two better be okay when you come back here!" said Bulma as if they could hear her speaking too them. With a small sigh Bulma looked back at her computer screen at the design of one of her latest projects: a ship capable of going so fast that you could travel to new galaxies in a matter of seconds. The model she was working on, of course, was only a rough sketch of some of the parts and places where things would needed to be placed in order for the machine to function correctly. She still had a long way to go until the protype was even completed.  
  
As she hit a few more keys on her keyboard Bulma suddenly stopped and looked around as she heard a far off noise. Looking around cautiously Bulma saw nothing, when who had made the noise suddenly came into her mind.. "Gohan...." She muttered as she quickly sat up and pushed back her chair. Walking with purpose toward the room that had left him in Bulma pulled back the door and stuck her head inside the room. After a quick glance around the small room she knew that Gohan had left when she did not find him anywhere. Looking toward the window by his bed she figured that he had left that way. Sighing Bulma walked over to the window and pulled back the curtain. Looking outside of it she could see the small figure of Gohan flying in the direction that Vegeta and Piccolo had gone.   
  
"And there he goes. When will Gohan learn that he can't always protect everyone...that sometimes he needs us to protect him." Said Bulma to herself as she shut the screen on the window and let the go of the curtain. Turning around to leave she quickly glanced around the room to make sure Gohan had not forgotten anything. Seeing that the place was "almost" as it had been before Gohan had arrived Bulma left the room and shut the door behind her.  
  
"Well looks like I will have to give Chi-Chi a call before she worries her little heart out." Said Bulma as she walked toward her desk where she kept an extra cell phone. Picking up the mini black phone she flipped back the switch and dialed up Chi-Chi's number so that she could tell her about Gohan. Bulma sighed as the phone began ringing, she knew this was going to be a long conversation on the phone.  
  
  
  
  
Vegeta and Piccolo ignored each other as they flew side by side to the location Gohan had informed them about. They sped at a faster than normal rate as they zoomed across the bare area where the rain was falling hard. The two warriors ignored the small droplets that landed on their bodies as they hurried to their destination. It only took them a short while until they were able to catch sight of the area Gohan had briefly mentioned to them. They landed a few feet off from where the battle had taken place. Their boots leaving marks in the wet mud as their eyes scanned the area for the androids Gohan had told them about.  
  
"Nothing. Nothing at all. Was the boy lying? I don't see anything remotely like he told us about." Said Vegeta as his sharp eyes narrowed at the thought of being lied too. Still the thought of Gohan lying seemed far fetched even for him. He knew that brat of Kakarot held one of his father's prime traits: his trusting nature and his abilities to dislike lying. Vegeta would have grinned at his thoughts if his mind had not been to filled with anger for being lied too.  
  
"No, look over there." Said Piccolo as he pointed with his index finger toward a tall mountain that now had a big whole in the center of it. "Someone obvious did that and it was probably either Gohan or those androids he told us about. But that's all I see that explains what he told us." Finished Piccolo doubtfully as he glanced around the area for more signs of a fight.  
  
"The brat probably wasn't playing attention as he was flying here and ran into the mountains. That's why he's hurt so bad and that's why the mountain's side is destroyed." Explained Vegeta with some regret. He looked away from the mountain's  
side and toward Piccolo, who looked back at him. Their glazes locked as Vegeta continued, "Shame, though, I hoping to fight someone with real potential today."   
  
Piccolo fought hard with himself to keep himself from hitting the arrogant saiya-jin. He stood looking at Vegeta wide eyed. "What do you mean? I could never see Gohan doing something like that. Vegeta, stop trying to blame Gohan, something obviously happened." Said Piccolo as he shook his head at the saiya-jin, his arms folded across his chest as his long white cape flew through the air because of a strong breeze.  
  
"The brat just wants attention, that's why he told us that far fetched story. Although, I must admit that I was hoping for a good fight. From the way he sounded, it made it almost seem real." Said Vegeta with a look of his disgust. He turned his back from the namek and grinned to himself.  
  
Piccolo looked at Vegeta's turned back speechless. He angrily looked away from the saiya-jin, frustration apprently shown on his face as he fought hard with his emotions. He felt something, something pulling at him and making him want to believe what Vegeta was saying. Piccolo shook his head, knowing that he could never betray Gohan; his first real friend. Sighing deeply the green namek stood with his arms folded across his chest in deep thought. Vegeta's unenlightened words stuck in his head as he pondered over the thoughts that were plaguing him.  
  
  
  
  
The rain fell down heavily upon Gohan as he sped across the distance between himself and his friends. Ignoring the stinging sensations that filled his eyes from the rain droplets that caressed his face, Gohan proceeded on without any trouble. Though, his body still ached he made himself ignore the pain. He had to be strong if he wanted to have any chance to help Piccolo and Vegeta, and he knew it. Looking around the area with a quick glance Gohan took in all the sights. Hoping that he would see the familiar shapes of Piccolo and Vegeta in the distance. Gohan hoped desperately that he would be able to make it there in time to protect his friends, whether they wanted his help or not.   
  
The ground passed quickly by Gohan as his saiya-jin powers allowed him to soar over the landmasses with great ease. He sighed somewhat frustrated by the dark night's presence for the first time. He never use to mind the night, but tonight it only seemed to serve against him as it dimmed his line of vision and did not allow him to see as far or as clearly as he normally would. "This is impossible," muttered Gohan aloud as he wiped away several droplets of water from his brow and let them fall freely from his hand then to the ground below.  
  
Lightening broke through the sky as the darkness of the night engulfed the once bright lands. Rain clouds disseminated around the area as they let their chilling rain fall to the ground and wet the dry ground below. Flashes of light filled the corners of Gohan's eyes as he caught the sight of huge lightening bolts striking through the sky. Gohan ignored the lightening as he flew onward and away from the main storm, which was brewing with intensity. Using the back of his hand the young saiya-jin wiped away several more droplets of rain with one quick swept his hand. With a small sigh he continued on through the night, trying to keep himself unconcerned by the darkness that plagued his vision. Looking straight ahead Gohan sensed out the chi levels of Vegeta and Piccolo, but he quickly let out another half frustrated and half relieved sigh when he saw that he could not sense them since they were too low. Gohan took this as a mixed blessing sign. At least, he reasoned in his thoughts, that meant that they had yet to fight. He knew that he would be able to sense their chi levels if they had powered up to fight, but they obvious they had not.  
  
Worry began to bite its way through Gohan's mind as he thought about all the things that could have happened without their chi level even having to be raised. Trying desperately to calm the feeling Gohan pushed it down and away from his mind, trying to clear to his head so that he could think clearly. "Calm down," he told himself as he shook his head. Trying to change the subject of his thoughts Gohan looked out into the vast area that he had been flying through in hopes of spotting Vegeta and Piccolo. He knew he was nearing the area where he had fought with Tinokoto and that soon he would be able to find Piccolo and Vegeta. Bringing one of his hands over his eyes he blocked out the rain and was able to see better. Biting the top of his lip as a bad habit, Gohan continued looking with his sharp eyes narrowed. In the distance Gohan noticed the familiar shapes of mountains and a forest. Gohan let out a small sigh as he noticed that he was less than a mile away from where he had fought with the bio-androids. "That means that Vegeta and Piccolo are probably already there." Said Gohan to himself with an irritated tone. He still had hoped that he would catch up with in time and stop them from continuing on but obviously his hopes would not be fulfilled.   
  
Raising his chi level a little more Gohan used the excess energy in order to fly faster across the lands that he passed by easily. In the distance Gohan could clearly make out the huge mountain that he remembered being thrown into by the huge android called Tinokoto. Gohan tried to vainly to keep his temper as he remembered the fight clearly. Though, the morning's events seemed more like they had happened months ago instead of only a few hours ago. Gohan shook his head absently as he tried to believe that he had actually been unconscious for so many hours. He still thought the whole thing to be utterly ridiculous, since it had only felt like he had been unconscious for a half an hour, or an hour at the most. Finally deciding upon forgetting the idea and continue on his search, Gohan pushed away the thoughts from his mind and reasoned that it had been like sleep. He never could believe he could sleep so much when he was tired either.  
  
Looking straightforward Gohan's eyes narrowed as he looked in the distance. Less than half a mile away he noticed the sight that he had been waiting for. He had finally made it. Squinting his eyes so that he could see better in the storm Gohan tried vainly to make out the shapes of Vegeta and Piccolo when suddenly a large bolt of lightening flew through the sky close to where Gohan was, lighting up the sky as it did. Though, the suddenness of the lightening bolt had surprised Gohan he remained on course as he got the light he wanted. As the light remained in the sky for a only a few seconds he saw to blurred shapes that he figured where Piccolo and Vegeta. Sighing with relief Gohan continued on, glad that they were alright.  
  
As Gohan flew closer to the area where he saw Vegeta and Piccolo clearly, the young super saiya-jin quickly lowered his chi level and settled out of his mad paced flying into a more calm and relaxed state. Relief was clearly shown on his face as Gohan edged his flying downward so that he would soon meet with the ground in a controlled landing. Bringing his feet in front of him Gohan easily landed on the ground several feet away from Piccolo and Vegeta with out making any noise. He waited patiently in his position for either Piccolo or Vegeta to notice him by saying something. A moment of silence went by as nothing was said between the three. Deciding to move toward them and to make the first approach Gohan took a light step toward the turned backs of Vegeta and Piccolo. Gohan knew full well that at least Piccolo would know he was here now by the namek's sharp ears that seemed to catch even the smallest thing. Chancing one more step Gohan immediately stopped as he watched Vegeta swift his weight on to his other foot uneasily. Gohan watched the back of the saiya-jin cautiously as if something were bothering him about Vegeta's stance.  
  
"You lied to us boy." Said Vegeta as he turned around and looked at Gohan dead on. His mighty glaze locked with Gohan as he narrowed his eyes and looked menacing at the younger version of the hated Kakarot.  
  
  
  
  
"No, no, Chi-Chi. He's fine really; Vegeta and Piccolo are with him. I hope." Said Bulma as she held her cell phone to her ear. She waited patiently for Chi-Chi reply as she finished telling about what had happened with Gohan. Being the over protective mother she was, Chi-Chi worriedly plagued Bulma with questions about her son's whereabouts.   
  
"You mean he's out in the middle of no where in the middle of a dangerous storm with those two? Oh my poor son!" said Chi-Chi over the phone, the tone of her voice clearly showed how worried she was by the way she spoke. Goten could be heard in the background as the young child ran around the rooms screaming and wondering where Gohan was.  
  
Bulma looked around the room of Capsule Corp. that she was standing in and quietly waited on the over end of the phone as Chi-Chi tried to calm the raging Goten with soft and comforting words. After a few seconds had passed Bulma heard Chi-Chi pick up the phone again and say she was sorry for leaving so suddenly to deal with Goten. "Don't worry about it!" Bulma said cheerfully as she tapped a finger against a near by table.  
  
"Anyway," continued Bulma after a short silence passed between the two women. "When I went back into the room we had left him in, he was gone. I bet he went looking for Vegeta and Piccolo. I wouldn't worry if I were you, I doubt they'll find anything. Then Gohan will most likely go back home." Said Bulma reassuringly to Chi-Chi, knowing how easily she could become upset when dealing with her son.  
  
"I can't believe he would go out like that in this weather! He should be home studying or helping his brother studying instead of going off and trying to fight some androids again. I knew I never should have allowed his father to train him. It was a mistake from the beginning." Said Chi-Chi as she recalled argument with her late husband about Gohan studying instead of fighting. Goku, being as he normally was, tried to train Gohan as much as possible so that his son would grow to be a great fighter one day. Chi-Chi on the other hand had different ideas for her son. She instead wanted Gohan to grow up to be a great scholar, so that he could live a safe life of knowledge instead of a living a of life on the edge and fighting all the time.  
  
"Don't worry about his studying Chi-Chi. He'll have pently of time to study tomorrow since he'll need to rest up from being attacked." Said Bulma on the other line. Walking over to her desk while she talked, Bulma swiftly sat down into her chair and turned on her computer with the flick of a switch. She did, after all, have projects to work on. Clicking on one of the many icons on the screen Bulma watched as the screen brought up several imagines and text that lay out the design of a new machine she was working on. Clicking through the page she heard Chi-Chi begin to speak on the other end of the phone.  
  
"Listen Bulma, I have to go and take care of Goten. He's becoming upset again because Gohan isn't here to play around with him. If Gohan comes back tell him to right back home, okay?" said Chi-Chi slowly, her voice sounded irritated as more noise grew in the background again.  
  
"Okay, Chi-Chi, will do. Talk to you later!" said Bulma as she wished her old time friend goodbye.  
  
"Bye Bulma," replied Chi-Chi before she clicked off her phone and left Bulma with silence on the other end.  
  
Taking the cell phone away from her ear Bulma quickly clicked the "off" button and set the phone on the desk for the time being. Not taking her eyes off the screen in front of her Bulma continued to click through pages and read things that she had written long ago. She paused every once in a while to type something new into the data banks of the computer so that she could correct or fix text or the imagines placed in front of her. Bulma sighed lightly as she heard the echo of lightening from outside. She could hear rain beating hard against the side of the strong Capsule Corp. buildings as it bounced from its sides and to the ground below.  
  
"It's going to be a long night." Said Bulma to herself as she clicked on another area of text and began typing again. Her fingers clicking lightly on the keyboard as the night passed by slowly.  
  
  
  
  
"Goten! Goten its time for you to go to bed." Chi-Chi said to her younger son, Goten, as the hyper child ran around the house looking for his older brother Gohan. The young three year old screamed out in vain as he looked behind the refrigator then under the table.   
  
"Mom, where's Gohan?" said Goten as he ran past his mother and looked behind the couch in their living room. Finding his older sibling not there Goten let out a small sigh of frustration. Goten stood with his arms across his chest as his eyes darted around the room in a nervous fashion. The look-a-like of Goku, sighed again as he looked up pleadingly at his mother.  
  
Chi-Chi sighed irritated as she walked over to Goten and picked him up into her arms. Carrying the young child in her arms she began to walk down their hallway to Goten's room, which was right by Gohan's room. Walking around the area littered with the child's belongings, Chi-Chi made her way toward his bed and placed the young Goten on his bed. "It's time for bed Goten, Gohan will be back in the morning. Then you two can play, okay?" said Chi-Chi reassuringly as she began to pull out Goten's covers and allow him to claw under them.  
  
Goten stuck out his lower lip as he crossed his hands over his chest in a stubborn fashion that he had copied from Gohan when he had seen his older brother frustrated during training once. "I wanna play with Gohan now! He said he would train with me today and he wasn't here all day." Cried out Goten as the words stumbled out of his young mouth. He looked his mother with a sad look as she tried to put him to bed without letting him play with his brother.  
  
"Now Goten, its time to go to bed. Tomorrow you can play with Gohan, he's even going to help you with your studying!" said Chi-Chi as she tried to make the sound of studying seem as fun as possible. Goten's mood did not finch as he locked glazes with his mother. "Bed, Goten, now!" said Chi-Chi a little more forcefully as she pointed under the covers she was holding up. Reluctantly Goten crawled under them until his head and his long spiky black strands of hair were the only things showing. Chi-Chi sighed relieved as a smile played on her lips for not having to argue with Goten further about going to bed. Normally she would have Gohan put Goten to bed instead of herself since they seemed to get along better, but since Gohan was not here she had to take on the task herself. Goten obviously did not like the idea of Chi-Chi cutting into his and Gohan's time together. A small flicker of jealousness crossed Chi-Chi's face as she thought about the fact that he son preferred to be with his brother instead of his own mother. Chi-Chi quickly pushed the thought away; knowing deep down inside that Goten loved her like she loved him. It was a mother thing, and Chi-Chi knew it all too well.  
  
"I'll see you in the morning, Goten." Said Chi-Chi barely above a whisper as she looked down at the already fastly falling asleep figure of Goten. She smiled proudly at her son as she moved several strands of his midnight hair away from his brow to reveal his entire face. She marveled herself suddenly by how alike Goten and Goku really were. With a small sigh Chi-Chi removed her hand from her son's head and allowed the strands to fall back to their normal places. Walking away from her son's bed Chi-Chi walked over to the door and took one more look at Goten. "I love you Goten," she said to the sleeping figure of her son in the distance as she walked out of his room and closed the door behind her. The small taps of her feet could be heard as she walked back down the wooden hallway.  
  
Goten slowly opened his eyes as he heard the door close to his room. Taking a deep breath the young saiya-jin looked with watered up eyes toward the door where his mother had stood only a moment before. He felt his heart ache with an unknown presence as he stared after her, his mind replaying what she had said until he finally understood almost too clearly. "I love you too mom," he said as he closed his eyes again and let out a sigh of contempment. Drifting off into sleep slowly the young saiya-jin dreamed of his mother, brother, and the father he had never known. Contempt with his thoughts Goten ended his dreams of his family and fell into a deep sleep that he would always remember.  
  
  
  
  
"Huh?" mumbled Gohan not knowing what to say from the directness of Vegeta's words. He shook his head in confusion as his long strands of black hair flew through the night sky with the movement. "What do you mean? I told you what happened." Said Gohan as he strayed a glance toward Piccolo, who had turned around as well and was looking straight at him. The namek almost seemed like he was on Vegeta's side. More confused now, Gohan looked around the battle area where he been just  
several hours ago. His eyes scanning the area and to his surprise he could not find the ship, nor any signs of the battle that he had fought several hours ago. "Where's the ship? It's...gone." He muttered more to himself than Vegeta and Piccolo as he took a step backward so that he could get a better view of the area.  
  
"You wasted our time, boy, then you went on to tell us lies about new androids after something that you don't even know about. I never should have believed you. You need a lesson in telling the truth!" said Vegeta as his power level raised from his anger. He tried to control his temper but it was too much for him to be lied to by Kakarot's son.  
  
"I won't fight you Vegeta." Said Gohan as he looked toward Piccolo for help. Holding his ground he watched as the namek looked away from him and turned his back to him. Gohan's mouth almost dropped as he watched the scene being played out in front of him. Rain beat down upon him as he watched helplessly as Piccolo turned and walked away from him. He did not understand what was going on. Why was everyone turning against him? He wondered as he shook his head again, rain droplets flying from his hair as he looked back toward Vegeta.  
  
"Stop this Vegeta, I won't fight you." Continued Gohan as he jumped into the air and used his saiya-jin abilities to keep him in the hovered above the ground. "I have to find out what happened to that ship. It has to be here somewhere." Said Gohan more to himself than to Vegeta as he began to fly off in search of the ship.  
  
"Don't you turn your back to me, boy! You will regret your actions later." Said Vegeta as he powered up to super saiya-jin form and shot a strong ki blast toward Gohan's turned back. The ki blasted soared through the air with ease as it sliced through the heavy rain droplets that were falling to the ground.  
  
Gohan sensed the ki blast flying toward him with ease as he turned around at the last second. Using a basic technique he deflect the attack, he brought his hand under the ki blast as it came dangerous close to him and with quick movement moved his hands up over his head as he lead the ki blast away from him. The ki blast continued to soar through the air pass Gohan until it finally landed on a near by mountains causing a large section of the mountain to be blown away. Gohan glared down at Vegeta without taking his eyes off of the super saiya-jin. "That's enough!" yelled out Gohan as he turned his back and continued on. He ignored the hothead Vegeta as he began to look for the ship. He knew that was more important right now than fighting Vegeta over some stupid matter such as him not believing what he had told them. Gohan knew what happened and he did not that doubt for a moment. Unwilling to fight against someone he knew as a friend, Gohan continued to soar through the air, the rain pouring heavily onto him causing his clothes to feel heavy as they soaked up the water. Brushing away the water from his face with the back of his hand Gohan peered through the errie night in hopes of spotting the ship somewhere close.  
  
  
  
  
Vegeta looked angrily at the figure of Gohan as he flew away from him. Anger boiled its way through Vegeta's veins as he felt his power level rise without him asking it too. "Brat," he muttered as he prepared another assault on Gohan. He could not, no, he would not allow the son of Kakarot to make the better of him. Or even lie to him for that matter! Gathering energy into his hand Vegeta prepared to let go of the ki blast aimed right at the unsuspecting Gohan, who seemed more concerned in finding that blasted ship instead of fighting the Prince of all Saiya-jins. That's when Vegeta felt himself drop his attack as the energy left his hands and spread out into no where. He sighed frustrated with himself as he did so. "Why didn't you just attack him?" Vegeta asked himself as he looked out into the distance. The night seemed suddenly unkind as Vegeta looked around absently. He could not understand why he did not just fire his ki blast, he had let the brat get away and if he ever wanted to try again he would end up having to search him out. The night sky seemed to play against him as rain poured from the sky.  
  
Using the back of his hand Vegeta wiped away several droplets of water from his brow as he stared irritably in the distance. Though it did not look it, he felt his anger lower and his scowl soften some as he glazed out into the distance. His mind seemed almost content as the saiya-jin gently lifted himself into the air and hovered above it for only a moment. Without taking another glance around the saiya-jin quickly flew off in the direction of his home at the Capsule Corp. buildings. Flying through the air with ease he remained unconcerned by the weather as his thoughts strayed to his mate Bulma. The women would most likely have waited up for him, saying that she had been working on some project that did not involve him. Vegeta of course would know that she had been lying to him, as he would make his way toward their room. She would wait for only a few minutes then make her way up the stairs and into their room. Thinking him asleep she would claw into bed and pretend like nothing had ever happened. Vegeta kept her secret, thinking not to disturb her in her own way of trying to upset him by thinking she did not care but Vegeta knew better than that. He knew she cared for him. Of course she did, she was his mate and he was her mate, that was the way things were.  
  
  
  
  
Piccolo walked around the dense forest. His mind was focused on one thing and one thing only: Gohan. The young boy had so much to learn and Piccolo knew that all to well. He had always known the boy was something special, and he had been right. He had proven himself and Piccolo was proud of the first person he could call his friend. A small grin spread across Piccolo's green lips as the namek stopped walking and looked around at his surroundings. He found it hard to believe that Vegeta thought that Gohan had been lying about the new bio-androids but what Piccolo thought was more surprising was the fact that in the back of his mind he thought the same thing. He wondered suddenly just what that meant. He was not one who dealed with emotions very often and when he did it was very hard for him to understand what was going on and how he was suppose to feel. He had always felt as if something were wrong with him when these types of emotions had surfaced for only the briefest of moments.  
  
Distracted by his thoughts, Piccolo looked up into the dark night sky. His sharp eyes narrowed through the pouring rain as he caught the sight of a figure in the distance. Squinting his eyes through the rain Piccolo was able to see the familiar figure of Gohan as the young saiya-jin hovered above the surface, obviously looking for something. Piccolo knew exactically what he was looking from the moment he saw his friend's figure in the distance. The ship. He was looking for the ship he had told them about and Piccolo knew it. For some odd reason Piccolo made himself look away from Gohan and turn his back from the boy. He felt something and he was not sure what that feeling was. Closing his eyes tightly the namek quickly balled his fingers into a fist trying to hold back emotions that found their ways into his mind.  
  
"What's this feeling?" asked out the namek to no one but himself. He did not understand what this feeling was, or why he was even feeling it. Shaking his head in a frustrated action Piccolo opened his eyes slowly as a single word surfaced its way into his mind. Guilt. That was the word he had heard Gohan use before: guilt. That was what he was feeling and he knew it now. He felt guilt for not staying by Gohan's side when Vegeta had called him a liar in his face. "How could you have been so naïve?" asked Piccolo to himself, scolding himself for being so irresponsible for Gohan's feelings. He just hoped he had not hurt Gohan's feeling too much. He knew deep down inside that Gohan would always forgive him no matter what, that the boy had a huge heart and always seemed to find room for Piccolo in it.   
  
A small smile played on Piccolo lips as he turned away from Gohan and began walking deeper into the forest. Though he felt sorry for not staying by his friend's side Piccolo decided that silence was the key. He, of course, would never bring up the subject but instead would let it stay as it is and hopefully forget about everything shortly. Knowing this not to be the best possible way, or in fact one of the worst ways to deal with this problem Piccolo still made up his mind, deciding to stay with what he believed to be the right way.  
  
  
  
  
Gohan wiped away small droplets of water from his face. Lightening and thunder could be heard and seen all around him as he stood hovering above the ground. He strained his vision in hopes of catching sight of the large metal object that he remembered seeing earlier today. Sighing frustratingly Gohan flew several feet away and looked over the landscape from a new position. "They couldn't have gotten that far away with that big ship. It looked so battered up that it could not fly. I wonder if those machines inside of it fixed it up?" said Gohan aloud to himself. He could barely hear his own voice as the strong sound of thunder was heard and lightening lightened the sky with its brightness. The weather is getting bad, thought Gohan as he looked around desperately.   
  
Biting the top of his lip out of habit, Gohan tried vainly to see through the darkness. He knew that soon he would have to go because of the storm being too intense and from the lack of being able to see. Gohan angrily balled his fingers into a fist. He was mad at himself for letting those androids get away, he had the chance to beat them and he had let it slip away. Gohan slowly let out a sigh as he thought things over. "It wasn't you're fault. You couldn't help it, you were unprepared." Gohan said to himself as he closed his eyes slowly. He felt himself relaxing somewhat as his mind wandered away from the earlier battle and more toward the present situation. Opening his eyes back up, Gohan quickly glanced around the area. He sighed, knowing that he was not going to find them if he had not already.   
  
"They're probably already way gone by now." He said to himself slowly. The rain was beginning to pour down harder as it raged through the sky. Lightening became seen more often as it flashed in and out of the sky in bright streaks. Finding himself caught in the sight of the flashing lightening bolts, Gohan quickly shook his head to bring himself back to reality. Taking another quick glance around the area, Gohan raised his chi level and blasted off in the direction of his home. He knew when he got back that he was going to have an angry mother to deal with and he was not sure if he was ready to handle her yet. A small grin played on Gohan's lips as he thought about the lecture that he was about to have from his mother. "This is going to be one long night," said Gohan aloud to himself as he flew through the sky. Wind whipped his clothes back and pulled back his long spiky strands as rain fell from the sky.  
  
To be continued... 


	5. GJ - Part 5

Gohan's Journey  
Chapter V  
--------------   
  
  
Wind whipped Gohan's hair back and out of his face as he flew away from the earlier battlegrounds. Going the same way he did earlier that day Gohan headed toward his distant home. He knew it would not take him a long time to get there since he was already close. The problem was that he was not sure if he wanted to go home. He was positive that Bulma would have called his mother by now, if she had not already done that when they first found him. Gohan let out a loud sigh as he stared transfixed on the area in front of him. He knew that when he would get home his mother would furious at him for getting into a fight and from almost dying because of it, when he should have been home taking care of Goten or studying. And he knew that he would be lucky if that was all that would happen.  
  
The darkness blanketed the ground below Gohan as he flew at least twenty feet above the air. His mind wandered as he passed above a forest's treetops. Animals raced across the grounds, disturbed by the strange presence of a human being flying above them. Gohan heard the familiar sounds of birds, deer, insects, as well as other animals as he took a slow glance down toward the forest. He smiled to himself contently as he watched the lively forest below him. They seemed so peaceful to Gohan that he almost felt himself in a trance from just watching them. Opening his eyes wide, Gohan brought himself back to reality and looked back forward contented emotionally by the scene he had just seen. His smile remained fixed on his face as he placed his hands in front of him and soared the air with an extra chi blast to move him faster. The treetops soon disappeared as Gohan crossed the distance to the forest's end. Long lanes of a grassy fields shimmered in the darkness as Gohan brought himself lower to the ground.   
  
Stopping abruptly just a foot before colliding with the ground Gohan righted himself and lowered himself easily to the ground. His boots touched the wet grass softly as he looked out into the beautiful serene field. The storm had passed through this area and only a small sprinkle was left as the clouds left the area by the wind's strong gushes. The droplets of rain that had landed on the tips of the grass lay dormit as they were reflected off of the moon's rays, causing them to shimmer in the absolute darkness. Stealing a glance toward the sky Gohan marveled at the sky as clouds covered half of the moon making it seem ominous and dangerous, yet higher then everything else around it. Stars also lined the sky as they escaped from the cloud's blockades and presumed to shine with intense brightness that put a smile on Gohan's face. He remembered looking up into the night sky like this several times before with his father, but never before had it looked so beautiful.   
  
Gohan found himself glazing up into the sky for several more minutes. Trying to carefully locate and name each star that he and his father had once given names too. He remembered some of the humorous names that they had thought up and decided on that night. Gohan found himself smirking as he remembered what had happened that night clearly. For some reason the thought of his father brought a lightness to his heart and he was not sure why. Not thinking to take a good thing the wrong way, Gohan ignored the thoughts and concerned himself with the sky above him.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Gohan savored the earthy smell that he inhaled. It seemed almost too clean, too free, too perfect. Though, he knew in reality that he was only feeling, or rather smelling the forest and grass around him he instead thought of it differently. The kid inside of Gohan seemed to shine alive as Gohan sat down on the wet ground then lay down on the surface with his hands behind his head. He looked up into the sky with a smile written plainly across his face. He wished Goten were here suddenly, so that the young child could witness such a beautiful night such as this one. Gohan's face saddened for a only a moment but then lightened when he decided to take Goten out one night and see the night as it was now. Sighing contently Gohan took another deep breath and held it. He waited for several seconds to pass until he finally released his breath slowly. He felt so alive out here that it was almost too odd for him. But he savored the moments like they were his last. Something inside of himself knew he would always remember this day. Not for the battle, not for the dream of his father, not for the rebellion of Vegeta and Piccolo, but for this night. For the absolute peace of the very moment and for the sear joy he was feeling in his heart. He knew deep down inside that he should be returning home, that he should stop the worries of his mother and brother, but something was holding him back. Making him want to remain just a little bit longer in the presence of the moon in the stars. What that something was Gohan did not know, all he knew was that he did not care. He did not care at all! All he wanted was for the moment. For the moment he was living right now to never end.   
  
Gohan closed his eyes slowly and felt his surroundings. The earth, the animals, the grass, the stars, the sky, everything. Everything seemed to be speaking to him and calling him to join them in this peaceful moment that would not last forever. Soon the sun would rise and take away the moon and its wonderfully bright shining stars. Calling them away from their place in the sky to a place hidden in the shadows of the sun's powerful rays. Gohan sighed at this. He wished it would remain like it was just for a little bit longer. So that he could forget his problems and relax with lightness in his heart. So that everything would be peaceful and without remorse. So that he could once again experience what he had so many years ago when he had left the shelter of his protective mother and learned from his father the beauty of the earth and why he loved it so much.   
  
Everything seemed so peace, almost too peaceful for Gohan to deserve. He knew deep down inside that he loved the earth and that he would do whatever it took to save it and it's life. Even if it meant giving up what he loved to save it.   
  
Sighing Gohan knew that this bliss would not last forever. That deep down inside he was alluding his worries so that he would no longer feel overwhelmed by his troubles. He knew what he had to face. He had to face those bio-androids. He had to stop them for doing whatever they were planning on doing. He had to protect. He had to protect the earth he loved so much. If he did not all hope was lost.  
  
Pushing himself up into a sitting position Gohan quickly stood and wiped several pieces of glass from his gi. A few grass stains were present on his knees and legs but Gohan ignored them and thought of them only as a blessing from the earth. He smiled openly happy. Taking another glance toward the sky the young saiya-jin cherished the moment in his memory, planning to remember it forever. To use it was a beacon of the earth, so that he would always remember the beauty that it pocessed.  
  
Finally taking his eyes from the beautiful scene that had played itself out for him, Gohan began walking in the direction of his home. He could already see the small building in the distance as he loomed near at a steady and leisure rate. He had no reason to rush but instead a reason to savor the moment. He would take all he could of the night's presence before he returned home.  
  
Gohan felt his heart sink as he drew closer and closer to the building of his house. The lights were all off expect for a single candle in the window. Gohan knew the sign instantly. His mother had put the candle out there to inform Gohan that she was hoping for his safe and soon return. Gohan remembered seeing that candle placed in the same window hundreds of times before, but those times the candle was meant for his father's return, not his. Gohan smirked somewhat happy at the sight, though it pained his heart.  
  
Gohan lost himself in his thoughts as he quickly neared his home. Standing a mere foot from the door he looked at the sight of the only home he had ever known. It almost seemed odd and unfamiliar as he looked at the door in front of him. Shaking his head to ward off whatever was inching its way to his mind, Gohan walked up the door and placed his palm on the door. The door opened with a small creak as Gohan walked into the house as quiet as possible. Closing the door behind him Gohan glanced easily through the dark room. Everyone seemed to be asleep. Walking as quietly as possible Gohan headed toward the hallway. But before entering he walked over to the window were the candle was lit. Cupping one hand on the opposite side of the candle Gohan blew a soft breath into the candle's light causing it to go out instantly. Gohan smirked and walked back toward the hallway then toward his room.   
  
Before going to his room Gohan walked a few steps pass his room and pushed open the door to his brother's room. Walking carefully through the toy littered ground Gohan made his way toward Goten's bed, where the young boy slept peacefully. His covers lay in messy bundle at the end of his bed from his feet kicking them off in the middle of the night. Gohan almost laughed as he looked at his brother and pulled the covers from their messy bundle. Laying them out across the bed he recovered up Goten so that the younger child would not become cold during the night. Placing a hand on his head Gohan whispered a good night to his brother and walked back out of the room. Closing the door behind him Gohan walked back over to his room and opened the door. Inside his room he found it just as he had left it earlier that morning. Shutting the door as he walked through Gohan leaned against the now closed door. Placing a hand on his forehead he looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. He was home and in the safety of his house. Vegeta and Piccolo were fine and the bio-androids had apparently left. Though, Gohan knew deep down inside that he had not seen the last of them. With a small sigh Gohan stopped leaning against the door and stood up straight. Walking over to his bed Gohan sat down on the edge of it.   
  
Gohan suddenly noticed how tired he was as he quickly took off his mud clad boots and lay them next to his bed. Then he untied his gi top so that he only wore his navy weight shirt and orange gi pants. Allowing the orange pull over to land on the ground Gohan pulled the covers from his bed and lay down on the soft surface. His back stilled ached and it felt comfortable to have the soft mattress underneath it. Pulling his covers just above his waist Gohan stretched out his arms and muscles while a small yawn escaped his lips. Resting his arms at his sides Gohan's eyes began to feel heavy as they slowly closed and he felt himself being drawn into sleep. Going along willingly Gohan fell into a deep sleep, remembering the night perfectly in his mind.  
  
  
  
  
Gohan's eyes slowly flickered open as the sun's morning rays hit his eyes full force. Groaning from the stinging sensation that he felt in his eyes, Gohan quickly blinked several times until his eyes were able to adjust to the bright light. Brushing a hand over his brow to pull back the strands of midnight hair that caressed his face, Gohan looked around the seemingly peaceful room. Nothing was different than it had been when he had returned late last night and it almost seemed as if the fight from yesterday had never occurred; that it had instead been some bazaar dream.  
  
Wishing this to be true Gohan let out a soft sigh. Pushing himself up into a sitting position the young saiya-jin was surprised to still feel his muscles somewhat stiff and aching. They were obviously still recovering from the injuries he had suffered yesterday. Absently glancing his dark eyes around the room Gohan pulled the covers on his bed away from his body and shivered as cold air hit his body full force. Shivering again Gohan quickly stood up from his bed and looked down at himself. He still wore his orange gi, though it was wrinkled from sleeping in it, and his boots were clad with mud next to his bed. Gohan just hoped his mother did not happen to come in at anytime soon. He could only imagine the words he would hear from her mouth as she scowled him about not taking the time to get out of his clothes and to wipe off his boots. A small smile played on Gohan's lips as he rubbed his arms with his hands and walked across the room toward his dresser.   
  
His feet paddled lightly against the cold ground that caused his body to shiver. Everything seemed to be a little too cold this morning, thought Gohan as he opened one of the drawers and looked through it. Thinking carefully he flipped through the articles of clothing that were laid out before him. Today, he knew, he would have to go see if he could find the space ship now that it was light outside. Though, Gohan knew deep down inside that it was very unlikely that he would find it he could not let himself rest until he was sure.   
  
Grabbing his extra plain orange gi and navy weight shirt he quickly closed the dresser and walked over to his bed. Placing the clothes on top of the bed Gohan walked over to own personal bathroom and left the door ajar behind him. Walking over to the sink he quickly looked himself over to see what wounds were still being healed and how badly he looked after the fight. Gingerly running a hand across his face he immediately noticed several lines that ran across one of his cheek. It was obviously from the punch that Tinokoto had landed on him. Almost glaring at the sight Gohan quickly allowed himself a second to calm down and take a closer look at the wound. He noticed now with a better look that the wound was actually almost healed. Though, he knew some sort of scar would remain for several more days. Sighing Gohan looked away from the mirror and walked back into his room.   
  
Walking lightly to his bed Gohan quickly replaced his clothes with the new ones he had just chosen from his drawer. As Gohan pulled his new orange pull over on and began crossing the ends he heard a noise in the distance. He recognized the voice immediately as a smile creeped onto his face. The voice was his mother and she seemed to be yelling at something. Goten, guessed Gohan with a small chuckle. The boy sure knew how to get on his mother's bad side sometimes, and Gohan had seen this all too clear. Shaking his head at the words he heard Gohan slowly picked up his blue wrap around belt and began to tie it in place. Fitting it around for the final time, Gohan looked down at himself satisfied with his appearance. Even though he would have preferred to have taken a shower first, Gohan knew that looking for the bio-android's space ship was more important than taking a shower at the moment.   
  
Sitting back down at his bed Gohan reached his hand carefully under his bed and searched around for his boot. Finding them almost immediately Gohan quickly pulled them from their hidden spot and looked them over. He smirked as he saw dried mud caked on the bottom and sides of the shoes. Getting up from his sitting place Gohan walked toward the large window in his room and opened it up. Taking a deep breath of the morning air Gohan smiled contently. Knowing that he would have a tough day ahead of him Gohan still could not help but be relaxed as he glazed out at the vast earth. His senses raised as he looked across the forest enclosed area that he called his home. He smiled openly happy and began to clean the mud off of his boots, knowing all to well that his mother would have a fit if she saw him walking around the house in dirty boots. Almost laughing out loud at the thought Gohan hurriedly cleaned off the bottom and sides of the shoes with his hands, letting the dirt fall in huge clumps toward the ground.  
  
Finally having cleaned the boots until almost no mud was left on them Gohan closed his window and walked back to his bed. Sitting down again he quickly put his boots on and tied the top half off to prevent the shoe from moving around. Getting up from the bed Gohan looked down at himself fully satisfied and picked up his dirty clothes. Carrying them in his arms Gohan made his way to the door of his room. Pushing the door open with one hand Gohan walked into the hallway, closing the door behind him.   
  
Walking lightly toward the opposite direction of the kitchen Gohan decided to place his orange gi in the laundry before he went to see his mother. Disposing of the dirty clothes in the room just down the hallway Gohan walked back down the hallway and toward the kitchen. His stomach growled at his waist, as he smelled the air around the kitchen. His mother was obviously making breakfast and it smelled good to his hungry stomach. His mouth watered up as he neared the kitchen and walked out into the connected living room and kitchen area. Holding back his hunger for just a little bit longer Gohan looked around to see his mother cooking hurriedly as she yelled at Goten to leave her alone while she was cooking. Gohan smiled at the scene as he walked into the kitchen section of the room.  
  
"Hi mom," said Gohan with a lop-sided grin as he walked toward the kitchen table and prepared to sit down.  
  
"Gohan!" yelled out the young voice of Goten as Gohan's younger brother's eyes lit up. Running over to his brother's side Goten quickly looked up at Gohan with a smile. His eyes then suddenly narrowed and he kicked Gohan hard in the leg.  
  
"Ouch!" yelled out Gohan as he held the spot on his leg where Goten had kicked him. He looked down at his younger brother somewhat confused at the suddenly change of his mood. Normally Goten would be happy to see Gohan instead of wanting to hurt him.  
  
"You said we would train yesterday!" said Goten louder than he wanted too. An angry look crossed the young saiya-jin's face as he looked up at his older brother. He crossed his arms across his chest and waited for his brother's to respond.  
  
Gohan looked sadly down at Goten when he suddenly remembered that he was planning on training with his younger brother yesterday. Of course, he knew that there was no possible way for him to have been able to train with Goten since he had been unconscious for the majority of the day. Opening his mouth slowly, Gohan was about to reply to Goten words when his mother suddenly cut him off.  
  
"Gohan..." breathed Chi-Chi slowly. Gohan glaze immediately moved from Goten to his mother as he saw the clearly seen signs of anger written across her face. Gohan gulped slowly and waited for his punishment. He knew would never have been able to get away without something happening between himself and his mother.  
  
"Gohan," started Chi-Chi as she turned around and looked directly at his son. Her voice sounded almost too calm, as she looked Gohan up and down. "Don't you ever try something like that again. You could have been killed! I don't want you to ever go out and get into a fight with androids like that again. Do you understand?" said Chi-Chi, her voice steadily raising as she glared at the figure of her oldest son. Gohan nodded his head quickly and said nothing as Chi-Chi began to speak again. "Gohan, I just hope you know what a bad example you set for Goten yesterday! You need to be more responsible now that you are older." Said Chi-Chi, her voice beginning to soften as she watched Gohan look at the ground in guilt. She knew her son never meant any harm, but sometimes she just could not help herself from becoming frustrated.  
  
"I'm sorry, mom." Said Gohan as he looked up at his mother. He strayed a quick glance toward Goten and saw the young saiya-jin standing quietly next to him. His head cast down as if he were upset about something. Gohan raised at eyebrow seeing the expression on his brother's face but quickly returned his attention back to his mother.  
  
"It's okay Gohan. I just don't want you to be hurt, or for either you or you're brother to fall behind in you're studies. I only want the best for you both." Said Chi-Chi slowly as she turned her back to Gohan and Goten. Reaching out with her right hand Chi-Chi picked up a large spoon and began to stir a substance in the bowel. Her face looked thoughtful as her thoughts strayed to her son's well being. Maybe she had been too hard on him, reasoned Chi-Chi. With a sigh she continued on with her cooking. "Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes. Why don't you guys go outside until then? I'll call you when it's ready." Said Chi-Chi as she glanced toward the awaiting figures of Goten and Gohan. With a grin she quickly added, "And don't get too dirty."  
  
Goten and Gohan quickly exchanged glances then grinned at each other. Holding back a small laugh from his brother's odd grin Gohan walked over to the front door and opened it so that Goten could go through first. Goten quickly followed at Gohan's heels and walked out the door when it was opened for him. Gohan shook his head at the younger look-alike of his father and walked outside.  
  
The warm air felt good to Gohan. Smiling as he glazed out into the vast area that surrounded his home Gohan took a deep breath and savored the moment. Clouds drifted along the blue sky lazily as the sun shone down upon the earth and warmed everything it touched. Gohan sighed content as he looked toward his younger brother who was standing in awe with his face looking up toward the clouds. Gohan smiled at Goten and walked over to where he was standing. Finding a dry rock over by Goten, Gohan sat down and watched his younger brother.  
  
"Hey Gohan?" ventured Goten as he looked away from the sky and directly toward Gohan. His eyes looked serious and narrowed as if something was bothering him.  
  
Gohan gave Goten an odd look as he tilted his head to the side a little. "What's up?" he asked slowly, unsure of what Goten was about aiming toward.  
  
"Gohan, do I have a dad?" asked Goten simply.  
  
Gohan's mouth almost dropped at the question. He never would have expected his younger brother to ask him such a question at this time and age. Goten must have seen his reaction clearly, thought Gohan as he watched the younger boy look back toward the sky. Gohan found himself at a loss for words. How could he possible explain if Goten had a father? Gohan knew he had a father but that was not the hard part. The hard part was explaining what a wonderful and brave man his father had been. Gohan was not sure if he could ever truly explain that. So many emotions seemed to pile up in Gohan's mind as he thought of all the things that he wanted to say to Goten but did not have words for them.  
  
"I sometimes wonder about my dad. I know I have to have one. Otherwise I wouldn't be here. But I don't know about my dad. I'm confused Gohan." Started Goten as he looked back down from the sky and toward Gohan. He fought back tears as he tried to explain feelings that had been bottled up inside of him ever since he could think. "I want to know. I know everyone says he was a wonderful person, but that's not good enough. I need to know what he was like. Not the way he acted when he was around everyone else, I need to know how he was to his son and how he would have been to me. I want to know if I would make him proud, or make him ashamed. I want to see his face, just once, in person. I've dreamt about the day that we would meet. But I know that will never happen. How could it possibly happen? He's dead." Finished Goten as tears started pouring down the young saiya-jin's face. Walking toward his brother Goten wiped away his tears with the back of his hand, finding fresh ones returning after only a moment.  
  
Gohan winced inwardly as he saw the sight of his younger brother. The thoughts of Goku had obviously been on the young boy's mind for quite some time and had been bothering him. Gohan was not sure how to answer but he knew he had to tell him something. He felt as if his heart was being ripped in half from just watching Goten standing there looking at him. "Goten, it's hard to explain to you what dad was to me and to all of us. He was truly a great man and he was the best father I have ever known. But there's one thing I know for sure and that is that he would be so proud of you for turning out as such a great kid." Said Gohan as he tried to cheer up his brother's mood. He knew this talk would not do for explaining about his father, but it would have to do for the moment.   
  
"You think so?" said Goten hopefully. His eyes brightened immediately as he thought about the possibilities of his father being proud of him.  
  
"I know so, Goten, he would be so proud of you. You have grown so much and have so much power at you're age that he would be totally impressed." Said Gohan cheerfully. He smiled down at his brother.  
  
"Thanks Gohan," said Goten as he wiped away the rest of his tears and smiled at his older brother. Taking another glance toward the sky Goten looked thoughtful until he suddenly looked toward their home. His eyes bright and shining as he did so.  
  
"Breakfast is ready!" called out Chi-Chi in the doorway as she waved toward Gohan and Goten. Goten quickly waved back to his mother as she walked back into the house and closed the door behind her.  
  
"First one to the house gets the leftovers! And with no powers!" yelled out Goten as he began running toward their home.  
  
Gohan smiled at his brother and got up immediately. Laughing Gohan followed after his brother toward their home.  
  
  
  
  
After having finished eating a big breakfast from Chi-Chi Gohan got up from his seat and walked over to the sink. Washing off his plate in the cool running water from the sink several droplets of water bounced off his plate and soaked into his gi. Not noticing the small droplets of water that were barely visible on his gi Gohan placed his dish on the drying rack and turned around ready to get on track and look for the space ship. He knew his mother would hate the idea of him going back after the androids after what had happened last night but Gohan knew they were out there and that he had to find them before something happened to someone else. Walking toward the front door Gohan noticed that Goten gave him a strangle look as the young saiya-jin held his fork half way to his ajar mouth. Gohan surpressed a laugh as he walked to the front door and slowly opened it.  
  
"And where do you think you're going?" said Chi-Chi voice from the kitchen. Her arms were folded across her chest in dominant stance as she glared directly at Gohan. Tapping her right hand against her side impatiently she waited for her son's answer.  
  
Gohan stopped dead in his tracks as he heard his mother call after behind him. Turning around to face his mother Gohan took a deep breath and readied himself. "I have to go search for the android's space ship." He said simply knowing that there would be many words to follow from his mother.  
  
"Why?" asked Chi-Chi as a saddened look crossed her features. She looked pleadingly at her son as Goten sat motionless watching them. His eyes wide as he glanced quickly between the two figures.  
  
"I have to stop them before they hurt someone else." Said Gohan as he glanced out the open door in front of himself. A warm breeze blew in from the door and caressed Gohan's face as it gently pulled back several of his strands of hair from the force of the wind. Looking back away from the scene outside Gohan gave his mother a determined look. He knew he could easily just leave and fly off before she had a chance to stop him but that was not the way. He had to settle things with his mother, she just had know that Gohan had a responsibility to the earth now and that he had to protect it at all costs.  
  
Chi-Chi sighed loudly as she glanced toward the ground. Her was face downcast, as thoughts seemed to run through her clouded mind. Half of her wanted her to let Gohan go and do what he could to save the earth, but the other half wanted him to stay home where he was safe. Darting her eyes back toward her son a thoughtful look crossed Chi-Chi face as she looked at the still figure of her oldest son. The son that she had raised to become a scholar, the son that was fastly growing into the figure of his father. Turning away from his books and into the protector that his father had been for the majority of his life. "Oh Gohan," breathed Chi-Chi just above a whisper. "I'm going to hate myself for this later, but go and find those stupid androids. You just make sure you come back in one piece and I'm serious!" said Chi-Chi as a small grin escaped her lips.  
  
Gohan stood shocked as he heard his mother actually tell him to leave and find the androids. He smiled brightly glad that she was not upset at him for leaving again so soon. "Thanks mom," said Gohan as he flashed a grin toward her and his little brother.  
  
"Make sure you come back in time to train with me!" yelled out Goten loudly as Gohan began to walk out the door and close it behind him. Goten watched as his older brother gave him a wave signaling that he promised he would. Goten smiled brightly and began to finish his food, hoping for his brother to return soon.  
  
  
  
  
  
Soaring through the air at an incredible speed Gohan began to get serious. He knew he had a job to do and he had to do it before anyone else could get hurt from the bio-androids. Immediately heading in the direction of the crash sight Gohan tensely looked around. His dark eyes searched the area quickly and he was able to see the vast area in only one glance. Discouraged from not seeing anything Gohan continued on. Knowing the ship to be a large one Gohan had figured that it would not be difficult to find since it was hard to hide something that big. He just hoped that they did not have technology like Capsule Corporation's capsules that allowed people to put large things into a capsule shape for traveling and other reasons.  
  
Ignoring the thoughts for the moment Gohan raised his chi level and moved out at a faster pace than before. He passed by mountains and forests in a blink of an eye as he used his amazing strength and harassed it into his speed. Crossing the terrain in much less time than before Gohan soon found himself faced with the area where he had fought only yesterday morning. Subconsciously thinking that the fight had occurred years ago instead of only yesterday Gohan shook his head and looked around quickly. Lowing himself slowly toward the ground Gohan slowed down his pace and gently touched the ground when he was close enough to reach it. Walking over to where he remembered seeing the ship Gohan bent down and looked at the ground. Feeling the ground he noticed that it was hard, almost as if nothing had ever landed there. Shocked by this discovery Gohan blinked his dark eyes several times to make sure he was not seeing things clearly. Though, he knew he could have just as easily of mistaken the spot where the ship had landed Gohan was almost positive that he had the right spot.   
  
Sighing frustrated Gohan jumped back into the sky and took of toward Ginger Town. His eyes scanned the area as he vainly tried to seek out the ship that seemed to be no where in sight. Narrowing his eyes Gohan began to see the sight of Ginger Town in the distance. Balling his hands into his fist as his anger began to get the better of him for a moment Gohan quickly turned around and headed back to the area where he had seen the ship last. Streaking pass the area with a blink of an eye Gohan raced in the opposite direction of Ginger Town in order to search that area of the continent. Though, Gohan knew very well that it was easy for the ship to go to some other region far away from where he was Gohan highly doubted this. For some reason deep inside himself Gohan knew they would be back and he had to be prepared for when they did.  
  
Going at least a hundred miles in the other direction Gohan found no traces of the ship. Part of him wanted to scream as he thought of all the other places that the bio-androids could be and who they could be hurting. Not taking the time to slow down his speed Gohan made a huge U-turn and headed back to the ship's landing spot. Within a short while he was able to reach the area where he went North of the area. Then finding nothing there, he again turned around and searched the area South of the landing cite. Extremely frustrated by not finding the ship Gohan slowed his speed as he neared the landing cite for the fifth time that day. Stopping in mid air Gohan stood planted in the air and thought deeply about his next step. He had after all looked over the entire surrounding area of the landing cite with no clue as to where the ship had gone, nor had he heard any reports about incidents happening in any of the surrounding areas from his mother in the morning. Knowing that she would tell him, Gohan could only suspect that the bio-androids had either left earth or gone into hiding. Gohan doubted they had left the earth and thought that they were instead in hiding.  
  
Seeing that he had done all he could do until the bio-androids showed themselves Gohan decided to go and see if Vegeta had made it home without any troubles last night. He knew full well that the older saiya-jin was fully capable of taking care of himself but Gohan could not help himself from worrying about whether he was alright or not. Losing himself in his thoughts and worries a light golden glow of chi surrounded Gohan as he took off into the air toward the Capsule Corp. buildings.  
  
  
  
  
As Gohan flew through the air he found his thoughts wandering to last night. "Vegeta is going to hate seeing me around." Said Gohan to himself as he remembered when the saiya-jin had tried to attack him for thinking he had lied to him. Gohan clenched his teeth together as his mind dug at those thoughts. He still could not believe that his two friends had thought that he had lied about something so important just so he could get attention. Shaking his head to rid himself of the thoughts that bothered his mind Gohan thought about what to do when he arrived at Capsule Corp. headquarters. "I better just find Bulma and talk to her," said Gohan as he figured that he would have a better chance dealing with his long time friend Bulma instead of with the hot head Vegeta, who would surely be swore about the events that had taken place last night. Deciding upon talking to Bulma, Gohan sped up as he saw the distant buildings of Capsule Corp. in the distance. Blinking his eyes against the sun Gohan could make out the clear shapes of the domed buildings that lined the area inside of the Capsule Corp.'s land.  
  
Covering the distance within only a few minutes Gohan slowed his speed down and pushed back his chi level so that Vegeta would not be able to directly sense him by his home. Lowing close to the ground Gohan lightly landed in the backyard where he saw the figure of Dr. Briefs walking between buildings. Gohan smiled to the older man as he walked toward him. "Hi Dr. Briefs! Is Bulma around?" asked Gohan politely as he looked around the surrounding buildings for Bulma.  
  
"Oh hello Gohan. Haven't seen you around in a while." Mumbled Dr. Briefs more to himself than to Gohan as he looked the young saiya-jin over with a quick glance. Petting the small animal that lay on his shoulder Dr. Briefs looked toward Gohan with a warm friendly smile. "Bulma's in that building over there if you want to see her." Said Dr. Briefs to Gohan as he pointed over his shoulder toward the building that he had seemingly just come from.  
  
Gohan nodded as Dr. Briefs spoke to him. "Thanks, Dr. Briefs. See ya later!" said Gohan as he began to walk past Dr. Briefs and toward the building where he had just come from. Hurrying along the stone paved path that led into the domed building with the Capsule Corporation logo.  
  
"That boy is turning more into his father everyday." Mumbled Dr. Briefs to himself as he walked down the stone paved path toward his home that was with the other Capsule Corp. buildings that surrounded the area.  
  
Walking through the entrance of the building Gohan found his way through the familiar building. He had been in at least every one of the Capsule Corp. buildings and he knew every one as if he walked through them everyday. Making his way through the main room Gohan noticed the familiar figure of Bulma sitting at her computer as she typed furiously at the keyboard. Gohan smiled at the sight he had seen many times before, he could only wonder what he latest project was as he watched her work from the distance.  
  
"Almost there, almost there. Ha! Found just what I needed to stabilize the hydro-ions in the left mid engine!" whooped Bulma as she threw her hands into the air in triumph. Not noticing Gohan as he stood in the main room of the building Bulma quickly stopped her praises of her accomplishment and went back to work as she readied herself to begin typing again.  
  
"Hi Bulma, what are you working on?" said Gohan out of the blue, a grin fastly forming on his face as he watched Bulma almost jump from her seat from hearing his voice. Gohan tried hard to surpress a laugh as he watched Bulma regain her composure and look at him angrily.   
  
"Gohan, you're alright! And don't let me ever catch you sneaking up on me again!" said Bulma as she shot a quick glare toward the helpless Gohan, who quickly gave her a nod. Fading out of her sudden mood change Bulma smiled at Gohan and walked over to him. Giving a quick look over Bulma nodded satisfied. "You look well, how are you're wounds? You had some pretty bad ones." Said Bulma as she motioned toward the scar forming on his cheek.  
  
Gohan immediately put a hand to his face as if he were trying hide the reminder of the bio-androids. "I'm fine Bulma. Actually, I came over to see how Vegeta was doing. Did he make back here alright?" asked Gohan as concern was shown clearly in the way he spoke. Looking toward Bulma he waited impatiently for her answer.  
  
"That big lug? He's fine. Though he gave me plenty of complaining last night. What exactly happened last night to put him in such a bad mood?" asked Bulma as she gave Gohan a curious look. She always had been the one who wanted to know what was going on and not to be left out on what was happening.  
  
Gohan face dropped but he quickly forced himself to smile weakly. "It's a long story Bulma." Said Gohan simply as he hoped the answer would satisfy Bulma's need for the moment.  
  
"Don't you give me that! I have every right to know what happened. We are together after all. Don't you think I deserve to know?" said Bulma as she practically yelled at the defenseless Gohan who put his hands up in mock surrender.  
  
"Sorry Bulma, its just a lot of stuff happened last night. I can't explain it now, but I will later." Said Gohan as he watched Bulma cross her arms over her chest and give him a annoyed glare. "Um, anyway, have you seen Piccolo? I need to make sure he's okay." Asked Gohan as he tried to change the subject.  
  
Bulma uncrossed her arms slowly and let her arms rest at her hips. Looking at Gohan she thought carefully about earlier in the day. "I saw Piccolo earlier today. He stopped by to see if I had heard anything about how you were doing. I talked to Chi-Chi earlier too, she said you were still asleep when I asked how you were doing." Said Bulma as she remembered clearly what had happened several hours ago.   
  
Gohan sighed relieved as he heard the news. Piccolo was fine. Glad that he would not have to spend the next several hours tracking down the namek and then making sure he was okay, Gohan was glad to find out that he was fine. Though he knew he was able to take care of himself, Gohan could not help but feel this nagging at the back of his mind that called him to make sure everyone he knew was alright. Bringing his hand up Gohan rubbed the back of his head absently. "Thanks Bulma, good to hear that Piccolo is alright." Said Gohan with a serene smile.  
  
Bulma smirked and nodded a "your welcome" to the young saiya-jin. "No problem, Gohan." She said slowly. "Are you going to be staying a while? I'm sure Vegeta would love to see you." Finished Bulma with a wide grin spreading onto her ruby painted lips.  
  
Gohan eyes widened as he brought his hands in front of himself and shook them back and forth. "No thanks Bulma, I'll pass on that. I'm sure Vegeta doesn't want to see me any time soon after last night. I think I better get home. I'm sure my mom will want me home in time to help Goten with his studies. I'll see you tomorrow, Bulma!" said Gohan as he waved a quick goodbye and turned around to leave the same way he had entered.  
  
"Bye Gohan!" called out Bulma as she waved back. Turning away from Gohan, Bulma shook her head at the young saiya-jin and went back to her computer. Sitting down in her seat she brought her fingers slowly over the keyboard and began typing again. "Almost ready to get the prototype up and running." Said Bulma to herself just above a whisper. A satisfied smile crossed her face as she looked through the documents in front of her.  
  
Gohan quickly walked out of the Capsule Corp. building and made his way down the stone paved path. His feet sounded lightly against the hard surface as he looked up into the sky and saw that it was getting late. Already the sky was beginning to turn dark as the evening was nearing. Though, the sun was still out and shining it's shadow seemed to linger as Gohan's angle of the earth slowly moved away from the sun's bright rays that covered the world with light. Raising his chi level so that he could fly at a fast enough rate a golden aura surrounded Gohan as he leapt into the air and soared through the fastly darkening blue sky.   
  
  
  
  
Vegeta watched silently as the son of is enemy Kakarot flew into the air from his home. Glaring at the young saiya-jin Vegeta narrowed his eyes and wondered how he the boy could have lied to him; the Prince of all Saiya-jins. Anger worked it's way through Vegeta as he tried hard to contain himself at the thoughts that urged him to go after the brat and rip him to spreads. Knowing deep down inside that he could never actually "hurt" Gohan, Vegeta balled his fingers into a fist holding back the urge to hit the thing nearest to him.   
  
Taking a few deep breaths Vegeta felt himself relax as he stood straight up and glared into the distance of the figure of Gohan. "You are forgiven for now..." mumbled Vegeta as he turned away from the sight of Gohan and walked back toward his house where he knew Bulma would be.  
  
To be continue...  
  
---------------  
On a side note, I'd like to apologize to any Goten fans out there! I know the way that I write his dialogue is probably way off...but to tell the truth I have never seen a "FULL" episode of DBZ/DBGT with Goten in it! So, I don't have the best grasp of the way he talks and acts at times. There was quite a few parts that featured Goten in this chapter so I just wanted to bring this up...so please don't get terribly upset if Goten is not perfect!  



	6. GJ - Part 6

Gohan's Journey  
Chapter VI  
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The day had gone by fast and Gohan felt himself tire from all the flying he had done continuous. A small yawn escaped from his lips as he took a deep breath. The sun was slowly falling away from the horizon and out of view as Gohan neared his home. Small clouds scattered around the red hue color that was engulfing the sky, shadowing all the life on the planet. Dormit animals began to rise from their resting place and become active as the sun's reign left and the moon took its place.   
  
In the distance Gohan could make out familiar landforms that were close to his home. A stream, forest, a tall mountain that stood by itself; they were all familiar reminders of where he was heading. A small sigh found its way to Gohan's lips as he thought about the earlier events. He had failed when finding the bio-androids, giving them the chance to hurt the defenseless people who lived on the earth. Balling his fingers into a tight fist Gohan did all he could to restrain his anger that was quickly surfacing to the top of his subconscious mind. Rage, the very thing that drove his saiya-jin half was spurring him on to find the androids so that he could fight and defeat them. He had to defeat them at all costs before someone had the chance to get hurt. Closing his eyes tightly Gohan bit the top of his lip, his mind working at a fast rate as he tried vainly to think of some other possible way to find the androids. He wondered now if he could depend on the help of Vegeta and Piccolo to aid him in his search. He was not sure; thinking that they were both still upset about the encounter they had faced yesterday, Gohan had his doubts. He sighed, allowing his frustration with the ordeal to be shown clearly on his face.   
  
Wincing mentally from all the problems that seemed to be consuming him, Gohan let his glaze shift to the ground below him. No longer did he see the beautiful forest that he had visited last night. Instead he saw a plain dark forest that contained animals and creatures that could easily destroy a normal human being with their claws or talons. No longer did he see the peaceful and serene terrain, but instead a vast wasteland full of corrupt people that only served to destroy the earth. His anger was clouding his mind and Gohan did not try to push it away. He knew that he was meant to protect the people of this world, just like his father had done. His father had given his life for people who would have easily backstabbed him if it meant that they would get something out of it. Gohan felt his anger rising.  
  
He did not know why these thoughts seemed to suddenly collide with his mind. His heart was racing and he had no mind to try and calm himself. He could only think of all the things that had gone wrong with his and his family's life. The suddenness of his thoughts shocked him but he could not pull them away from his mind. His saiya-jin blood seemed to be pumping through his body incredibly faster than normal, seeming to add his frustration rather than to lessen it. It made him endure the pain he was feeling and only caused it to add more fury to his soon coming end when he would give away to the anger boiling inside of himself. Gohan did not want to endure, not now. All he wanted was to be able to live a peaceful life with his mother and brother, and more importantly to always have his father's loving voice spoken to him through his dreams and memories. Clenching his teeth together in a fastly forming bad habit, Gohan shook his head. Deep down inside he knew he was only speaking and thinking through a clouded mind, that most of what he was thinking were instead reflected off of the frustration he felt from not finding the bio-androids. Taking a deep breath Gohan forced his thoughts to subjugate to his will. He loved the earth and its life, even though he could not help but distaste the people who wanted to destroy it.   
  
Clearing his mind Gohan felt a sudden relief fall over him as he calmed down. Thinking with a clear head instead of who that was deluded by raging thoughts of anger and remorse. Looking out into the distance Gohan saw that his home was only a short half-mile away. Slowing down his speed Gohan lowered himself toward the ground and prepared himself for landing. When he was only a few feet from his house Gohan stopped abruptly and righted himself into a standing position. Hovering just above ground, Gohan's boot clad feet gingerly landed on the grass as he lowered himself completely to the ground. Relief filled Gohan as his mind wandered away from the bio-androids and he felt only glad about being home again. Walking the short distance from where he landed to his home Gohan reached out his hand and slowly turned the nob on the door. Pushing the door open with a small creak Gohan walked through, closing the door behind him as he did.  
  
Gohan's dark eyes glanced around quickly, immediately catching the sight of his mother standing in the kitchen as she hummed to herself softly. Gohan smiled at the sight as he walked into the living room and looked around for Goten. He knew the younger boy would be upset that he had not had a chance to train with him today, but Gohan knew he would find a way to payback the young saiya-jin.  
  
"Welcome back Gohan, you were gone for a good part of the day." Said Chi-Chi without turning away from her work. She spoke with her usual sarcastic voice that no one could duplicate no matter how hard they tried.  
  
"Sorry mom, it took me longer than I thought it would to search for those bio-androids." Said Gohan to his mother as he watched her turn around and face him. "Where's Goten?" he asked when he could not find his brother in sight.  
  
"He's in his room studying. Why don't you go and help him until dinner is ready?" suggested Chi-Chi as she walked over to the stove and slowly pulled it open. The warm aroma of well cooked fish filled the room as the sweet smell spread out into the air.  
  
Gohan stomach rumbled at the smell and his mouth water up as he thought about the delicious dinner that would soon be ready. "Okay mom," said Gohan quickly as he made his way toward Goten's room. He knew he would be dying of hunger if he stayed in the kitchen any longer with the wonderful smell still hanging in the air. Walking down the hallway to Goten's room, Gohan knocked on the door softly when he approached. After a few seconds Gohan heard a muffled "come in" and opened the door to see Goten sitting on his bed with a book open in front of him. Gohan smiled to his brother as Goten looked up from his book, a grin fastly forming on his face as he did.  
  
"Hi Goten," said Gohan as he walked through the door and closed it behind him. Walking across the room carefully Gohan made his way to his brother's bed and sat down on the edge of it. "Watcha doing?" he asked as he glanced down at the book in front of him. His mind flickered for a moment as he remembered using the same book when he was about Goten's age. His smile widened as he waited for his brother's reply.  
  
"Science..." said Goten after a moment. He blinked several times toward his brother with his brows knit in a curious fashion. "Where were you all day? I wanted to train!" said Goten as the words stumbled out of his mouth from talking too fast.  
  
Gohan looked at his brother and thought of the best way to answer. He knew he did not want to worry Goten with the bio-androids, actually he was sure that Goten would probably want help him in his search. And Gohan knew his mother would never agree to that, no matter how good of a mood she was in. "Um..." Gohan thought quickly, he knew his brother would think he was lying if he waited too long to answer him. "I had some work to do for Bulma." Said Gohan quickly. He hated lying to his brother, but he knew it was for his own good that he did not know what was going on with the bio-androids.  
  
"Okay," said Goten simply as the young child glanced down at his book. Looking back up at Gohan after reading a few lines he quickly closed the book and placed on the stack on his bed. "Done!" he said cheerfully, glad to be finished with his work for the day.  
  
Gohan grinned down at Goten as he remembered when he was his age. Thoughts came flooding into his mind as he remembered his earlier childhood years. Pains, sorrows, death...Gohan was glad that Goten would not have to face the same things that he had to when he was only a boy. He had lost the precious self-confidence that he needed in those earlier years. Gohan was thankful that his brother pocessed almost as much self-confidence as his father.   
  
"I'm hungry." Said Goten as he broke the small silence that had grown between the two. Blinking his eyes a few times he looked up at his brother as he spoke his mind. "When's dinner?" asked the young saiya-jin as he strayed a glance toward his door, hoping to see his mother telling them it was time to eat. A broad grin crossed the young saiya-jin's face as he heard his mother call both Goten and Gohan for dinner before Gohan had a chance to reply. Getting up the two saiya-jin both headed out of Goten's room and toward the dining area, hungry for their daily meal.  
  
  
  
  
The night passed slowly as Gohan tossed and turned in his small bed. Dreams seemed to be taunting the young saiya-jin as he lay in his bed, his mind a mix of confusion and hubbub. Opening his eyes slowly Gohan peered around the dark room, noting the shadows made by objects in his room from the small amount of moon light that was able to shine through Gohan's windows. Bringing a hand to his forehead Gohan wiped away several small droplets of sweat from his brow. Taking a deep breath Gohan tried to calm his raging nerves. All through the night the saiya-jin had been taunted by nightmare after nightmare of the bio-androids. He felt suddenly alone as his glance reached to his door. It was closed completely and only brought more confusion to his mind.   
  
Gohan sighed inwardly confused as to why he did not have these dreams last night, but instead had them tonight. Finding no question to his answer immediately, Gohan was left to himself to decide. Thinking it only to be because of the peaceful night he had had before returning home was the only thing the young saiya-jin could think up in order to calm his nerves. Bringing his hand away from his head Gohan let it rest at his side. Breathing heavily Gohan felt the weight of not being able to sleep build on him as he tried in vain to fall asleep again without the dreams taunting his mind.  
  
Slowly closing his eyes Gohan's mind seemed to almost replay the dream inside his head. Squinting his eyes shut tightly Gohan felt as if he was being sucked into sleep, forcefully rather than slowly drifting into it depths. Too tired to even keep his eyes open any long, Gohan was forced to endure the harsh dreams that plagued his mind, only allowing him to fall into an uneasy sleep.  
  
  
  
  
"Sir, if we continue at this rate the subject may sustain serious mental damages." Reported an androidic voice.  
  
"He will survive it and be perfectly fine in the morning. You all underestimate our target, we must precede with great care if we wish to please the master." Said Tinokoto as the foul bio-android let out a menacing laugh. A small smile danced on his lips as he stared into the screen inside of his ship. The saiya-jin boy named Gohan was clearly seen on the screen as he was put up against unbearable measures of death and despair. Tinokoto grinned as he watched the boy scream from the pain he was feeling at the dreams that he had ordered the other bio-androids imprint into his mind. Another death, this time perhaps his friend Piccolo? Or better yet, why not the brat's father? The one which he thinks so highly of in his dreams. All these thoughts ran through Tinokoto's man-made mind as his only purpose for the moment was to bring more pain to the young saiya-jin. He wanted to beat him, to destroy the person that he was molded into over the years. Tinokoto smirked, he already knew he could physically kill the boy, but he knew deep down inside that mental pain was much more painful, thus bringing more pleasure to Tinokoto's cold heart.  
  
Glancing a look away from the screen that brought him pleasure, Tinokoto looked around at the other bio-androids. Many of them stood next to machines that were hurriedly doing work for them at an amazing pace. Soon, he knew, they would acquire the necessary Son Gohan that his master had talked constantly about. His "great plan" recalled Tinokoto from his memory banks. He smiled, knowing his master would be very pleased with the progression of the mission. And soon they would acquire the brat and bring him back to their master, praise was the ultimate reward that Tinokoto was facing and he always would get what he wanted when he set his mind to it.  
  
  
  
  
Gohan's eyes slowly opened. Bringing a hand to his eyes he rubbed them as he tried to adjust his blurry vision. Bringing his hands away from his face and letting them rest at his sides, Gohan peered around the still and dark room. The sun had yet to grace the ground with it's bright rays and the air was cold from the night's presence. Pulling his covers away from his body, Gohan shivered as the cold face hit against his bare flesh that was not covered by clothing. Gingerly sliding his legs over the side of the bed and allowing his feet to touch the ground, Gohan felt a shiver slowly work it's way through his body as the young saiya-jin stood and walked toward the window in his room.   
  
Pulling away the curtain that partly covered the distant view, Gohan marveled at the glory of the sight in front of him. Letting a small sigh of contempment escape from his lips, Gohan glazed out into the distance, his eyes lost in the trance that the moon had over him. He wondered suddenly, if his attraction to the moon was because of his saiya-jin heritage. He had never thought of that fact before, he had just always known that he loved the moon's presence. The sneer magnitude that it had when it was out in the fullness of the night, blanketed only with the shining stars around the sky. Gohan smiled at the thought, he never had truly hated his saiya-jin half, actually he found himself embracing it at most situations. Though, he knew he did not hold the confidence nor the fighting spirit of his other half, the half that called him to fight with all his power. Gohan was grateful for the power he pocessed even though he could never bring himself to use it against anyone who was innocent of anything less than killing another. That was when he regretted his gifts, the gifts that so many had wanted to claim, but instead the young saiya-jin had pocessed.  
  
Looking out into the vastness of the night, Gohan could see clearly through the shadows of the night would that would cut a normal human being's vision in half. Without even glancing at the clock by his bed, Gohan determined it to be at least two or three hours until the sun would begin to rise over the horizon. A small smile spread onto Gohan's lips as he thought of using this morning to his advantage. Walking away from the window, Gohan walked over to his dresser. Grabbing hold of the handle he gingerly opened the drawer with ease and pulled out his newly cleaned orange gi. Looking it over Gohan could no longer see the reminders of the brutal fight that had taken place yesterday. The blood spots that had soaked into it were gone and the tears it had suffered had been repaired and almost unnoticeable to anyone but him and his mother.   
  
Closing the dresser with one of his hands, Gohan turned around and walked back to his bed. Laying the gi down on the bed he walked into the bathroom. Grateful that he had taken a shower last night so that he would not have to take one right away, Gohan walked over to the sink and looked into the mirror. He smirked at himself as he noticed the bad habit he was expressing by looking over his scars every time he came into the bathroom. Shaking his head at himself, Gohan picked up his toothbrush from the side of the sink and began to brush his teeth after applying toothpaste.   
  
After quickly finishing brushing his teeth as well as everything else he normally did in the morning when he first gets up, Gohan walked out of the bathroom and back into his room. Crossing the short distance to his bed, Gohan's bare feet padded lightly against the ground. Upon reaching his bed Gohan silently stripped himself of his sleeping and house clothes and began to put on his gi. First placing on the weight shirt, then the orange tie-around, then this orange pants, followed by his navy blue tie-around belt that he used to keep it all in place. After placing on the rest of his clothes Gohan picked up the last of his accessories: his arm weights. Placing the navy arm weights on each of his wrists Gohan then grabbed his shoes from their normal place beside his bed. Gingerly placing his feet inside his cold boots Gohan stood up ready to go. Looking down at himself satisfied at his appearance he swiftly ran a hand across his forehead, pulling back several strands of black hair to only have them return to their normal position once his hand left them.  
  
Grinning at himself in the Son family fashion, Gohan walked back over to his window. He let out a small sigh of relief as he noticed that the sky was still dark and lumated by the moon and stars that still shined bright in the sky. Gingerly reaching out a hand Gohan as quietly as possible pulled the latch from the window and let it glide open. Straying a glance over his shoulder to make sure no one had entered his room without knocking Gohan raised his right leg and stepped over the window. His foot soon collided with the soft green grass as his left leg followed closely behind. Still remaining quiet Gohan turned his body around and closed the window half-way behind him so that when he returned he would be able to get back inside without using the front door. He knew his mother would be furious at him for leaving without telling her and in the middle of the night. Though, he doubted it could still be considered night.  
  
Stealthily making his way across the wet green grass that was covered in dew from the cold temperatures all night, Gohan waited until he was near the edge of the forest to raise his ki level and blast off into the night sky. The wind whipped his hair back as he lowered his power level and flew at a more leisure rate than he had started out. Taking a quick glance over his shoulder, Gohan watched as his house disappeared behind him, turning into a small speck from his distance away. A satisfied look crossed the young saiya-jin's face as he strayed a glance up at the half moon. His eyes wandered around the serene night sky as his mind played with the thoughts of the stars and their origin.  
  
The landscape seemed to blur as Gohan flew over it. Treetops zoomed by and the mountains were met and subjugated with moments. Small white clouds disseminated across the sky and shone as the star's brightness loomed over them. Flying for several moments, Gohan felt his heart lightened as his problems lifted away from his mind only to be replaced by wonder. These were one of the few times when Gohan could really be free to think clearly without his mind constantly worrying about the future and protecting others. Gohan had found himself wishing to be more like his father in many ways, he envied his father's happy disposition and confidence that Gohan could never seem to be able to grasp.  
  
Shaking his head Gohan pushed away his worries and instead glazed ahead of him. His dark eyes darted around in order to catch the sight of animals and of the life on the planet as they woke up and began to move around below him. Gohan smiled to himself as his glaze moved downward toward a group of deer. Waving his right hand toward them Gohan smiled as several looked up at the young saiya-jin from their rooted position. A small laugh escaped Gohan's lips as he brought his hand back to his side and pushed onward.   
  
After flying over a mile of different terrains that encompassed Gohan's home, Gohan looked down at the landscape. A small streamed babbled below him and a forest was seen in the distance. Stopping abruptly Gohan looked around the area, his dark eyes seeing miles away. Seeing that it was clear of anyone for a good distance away Gohan gently let himself fall to the ground until he was a mere foot away from  
it. Gingerly placing a booted foot onto the ground, Gohan stood up straight and lowered his ki level. Placing his hands on his hips Gohan peered around the area, checking to make sure he was alone. A soft sigh of contempment escaped Gohan's lips as he saw that was no one was around. Walking over to the stream, Gohan knelt down and rested on the back of his heels. Reaching out a hand, Gohan's fingers played lightly with the cold surface of the stream. The water flowed between and around his fingers, sending a small chilling sensation throughout his fingers and hand as the cold water chilled his fingers and splashed on his hand from the current of the stream.   
  
Taking his hand from the stream Gohan watched as several small droplets of water made their way to the tips of his fingers were they collected together and fell back down to the water. Gohan tilted his head to the side as if to allude to wonder as he watched the small droplets shimmer in the moon's rays. A small smile played on the young saiya-jin's lips as he brought his hand down to his side and wiped the excess water away on the side of his gi.  
  
Sitting down on the soft green grass, Gohan laid on his back with his hands resting behind his head. Glazing up at the sky Gohan could see the first sign of the sun as small stars were brightened out of the sky and the moon's silver rays disappeared from the lasting appearance of the sun. Gohan smiled as he watched the sun slowly making it's way over the horizon, warming the air and drying the ground as it mighty presence woke the gently sleeping people and creatures on the earth. Gohan had always loved watching the sky and seeing how it played out through the day. A small sigh escaped the saiya-jin's lips as he remembered doing the exact thing he was doing only with his father laying next to him. Turning his head away from the sky and to his side Gohan almost expected to find someone there glazing up into the sky like he was just doing. In vain Gohan looked back to the sky, he knew nothing would be there and nothing had been.  
  
Resting his troubling mind was always a problem for the saiya-jin boy. Letting out a long breath Gohan closed his eyes in hopes of calming his troubled nerves. Things were difficult for the boy, but he knew he would survive, that he would push on and make it. But now he just needed a moment of relaxation, so let his mind catch up with the present. Moving one of his hands from behind his head, Gohan placed it on his chest and looked down toward it. He smiled as he watched his hand rise and fall with each breath that the young saiya-jin boy took.   
  
Taking another glance up into the sky Gohan slowly closed his dark eyes. Shutting off the world from his mind and allowing peace to fill his being. Breathing lightly Gohan felt as if he could feel the earth and life around him. In the distance he could clearly hear the noises of the wildlife and the smoothing babble of the stream that he was laying by. Everything seemed so peace and so serene that it almost took Gohan by surprise. He was use to the hard life, to always fighting for what he believed in but it always seemed to surprise the boy as he watched life still go on even though it had come so close to being destroyed on several occasions. The thoughts of this would always fascinate him.  
  
Gohan felt as if his mind were being carried away as he lay there for several more moments. The gentle sounds of the stream, the smell of the forest, and the noise of the wildlife seemed to lull the boy into a pensive state in mind. Gohan smiled to himself, he was glad that he had decided to leave home and come out here. Though he knew his mother would be yelling him later for leaving he would still have the memories of the night and the morning as he watched the sun rise over the horizon. All the yelling in the world seemed not to compare with the feelings of hope and happiness that Gohan received from just experiencing a moment in time that occurred everyday. But Gohan knew that the moment would not last forever, he would have to face his problems soon enough.  
  
Gohan's thoughts were suddenly disturbed by the sound of a stick breaking in half under pressure. Snapping his eyes open immediately, Gohan quickly looked around the area, his sharp eyes searching for the cause of the disturbance that had taken him from his relaxed state. Pushing himself up on his elbows, Gohan moved his head to the left and then the right, still not finding the cause of the noise, though he knew it came from somewhere close. Moving up into a standing position slowly, Gohan narrowed his eyes dangerous close, his senses on full alert. He had always been taught to be prepared and was not about to let his guard down.  
  
"Who's out there?" called out Gohan into the shadows that were forming in the forest. Though it was still fairly dark out, the sun did provide Gohan barely enough light to see into the forests. Although much of his vision was blocked by the limbs of trees that made shadows inside the wooded area. Clenching his teeth tightly together, Gohan balled his fingers into a tight fist making his frustration apparent.  
  
"Please, be calm." Called out a weak voice from within the shadowed parts of the woods.  
  
Gohan immediately brought himself into a defensive stance as he heard the voice; his instincts sizing hold of him from many years of hard learned lessons and training. Sensing out the ki in the area, Gohan was surprised when he felt almost none, if any ki at all from the direction that he heard the voice come from. He only hoped that whoever it was could not control their ki like he and his friends could.  
  
"I'm sorry, I did not mean to frighten you, lad." Called out the voice, though it seemed closer than it had only a moment ago. Gohan's ears could clearly hear the sound of russeling of grass as a small hunched figure came into sight from the forest's edge opposite of the stream where Gohan had laid only moments ago.   
  
Gohan squinted his eyes as he saw an old man come into view. He was dressed simply in a loose t-shirt and loose fitting black pants. He almost completely bald except for a small sliver lock of hair that ran down his back like a rat-tail. He seemed bitter and weak to Gohan, who figured that that was the reason why he had not been able to sense his ki level. Moving out of his defensive stance, though still alert, Gohan stood up straight and let a small smile play on his lips. "Sorry about that." Said Gohan as he brought his hand behind his head and absently rubbed the top of his neck, his father's habit seemed to be turning into his own lately.  
  
"Oh, that's quite all right. What's a young kid like you doing out here this early in the morning anyway?" asked the old man as he reached out a hand and placed it on a tree for support. He gave Gohan a small grin as he breathed heavily, coughing every once in a while between deep breaths.  
  
Bringing his hand from behind his head and allowing it to rest at his side, Gohan looked worriedly toward the old man. Though he did not know the man at all, Gohan could not help but worry about his condition. From the way it seemed, Gohan figured that the old man should be at home instead of wandering around the woods in the early hours of the morning. Just as he was about to open his mouth to question the old man, Gohan suddenly stopped as he watched the man get into another coughing fit that lasted for several seconds.  
  
Walking over to the edge of the stream, Gohan raised his ki level enough to fly and slowly lifted himself off of the ground. Making his way across the stream, Gohan gingerly landed on the other side of the stream, his boots leaving an imprint from where he stood. Taking a few steps toward the old man, Gohan reached out a hand and placed it on the old man's shoulders. Gohan winced inwardly as he felt how weak and fragile the old man seemed, it was almost as if his bones would fall apart at any moment. "Are you okay, sir?" said Gohan as politely as possible. He could only imagine what his mother would say to him if he had been even a little rude to the helpless man.  
  
The old man coughed several more times before he turned to look at Gohan. His dark blues eyes seemed emotionless and cold to Gohan, who now had a better view at them. "Yes, yes, I'm quite fine now. Though a little tired. Say, do you mind using that little tick you just did...the flying bit, and take me home? It would save me the trouble of walking back on my tired old legs. They aren't strong as they use to be." Said the old man as he gave Gohan a warm and reassuring smile.  
  
Gohan found it hard to refuse the old man of a ride home. He did not like the idea of revealing some of his powers to others, but he also did not have the heart to let the old man travel back to his home alone and on foot. Thinking deeply, Gohan finally decided that the best thing to do was to simply take the man back home before something happened to him. "Okay, where do you live?" said Gohan as he tried his hardest to sound nice to the old man. He did not want him thinking that he was rude, or that he was worried about flying him back to his home.  
  
The old man pointed back toward the direction he had come from. "Back over that way. I live at the edge of the forest on that side. It's not that far away. Thank you for helping me, kid, its not everyday that you will find someone willing to give an old man a ride for free." Said the old man who let out a small chuckle at his own joke. Gohan looked at him dumbfound but did not say anything.  
  
Moving to the old man's side, Gohan as gently as possible grabbed hold of the man and made sure he was steady. Allowing him lean against himself and to hold onto his arm, Gohan eased up his ki level and began to float above the ground. "Now just hold on," said Gohan reassuringly as he moved up wards until he was atop the trees. Peering out into the distance Gohan noticed a small cottage that he had never seen before away in the distance where the old man had been pointing too. He figured he must have recently moved out here for retirement or something of that matter, but Gohan shrugged off the thoughts nevertheless and slowly began flying in the direction of the cottage. Making sure to be careful that the old man would not fall and that he was not going too fast Gohan kept his dark eyes forward, only moving them momentarily to check on the old man.  
  
It did not take them long before the forest's treetops had disappeared and the flat lands that surrounded the forest were covering the few in front of Gohan's vision. He looked worriedly ahead, he knew the old man had come a long way and he did not understand why, but he thought better of it and that he should not question him. A small gush of wind gently pulled back the strands of Gohan's black hair as he began to lower his ki level and descend toward the ground. Gingerly landing on one foot then the other, Gohan eased the old man into a steady standing position.   
  
The old man still gripped Gohan's arm as he used it to steady himself after landing. "That was fun! Thank you laddie for the ride, I won't forget you're kindness. Why don't you walk me over to my house, then maybe have something to eat if you're hungry?" ventured the old man in a friendly way of inviting Gohan to stay a while.  
  
Shaking his head Gohan brought his hands in front of him. "No thank you, I should get going anyway." Said Gohan with a forced smile. He wanted to be polite but something was bothering him but he could not put his finger on it. He knew deep down inside that he had an urge to go back home, almost as if he needed to be there and watch over it. A small sigh escaped his lips as he turned his back from the old man and looked over the distance that they had covered in only a minute's time. Several miles away he knew he would find his home with his mother and brother. He suddenly had a longing to go back, the memories of the morning no long mattered and he only wanted to be home where he knew he would be safe and would be able to watch over his family.  
  
Taking a step back toward the old man, Gohan was about to say a goodbye to him when he noticed that he had moved. Peering around the small area, Gohan's sights where caught on the house that lay directly in front of him. It was a simple building that was small but seemed to be made of strong bricks that were well packed together with a form of clement. The sides of the building were painted a dull reddish brown and the roof was painted a bright red that did not contrast well with the main body of the house, and few windows allowed the light of day to shine into the building that seemed dark and damp to Gohan's young mind.   
  
Gohan found his eye's lingering on the building. Something about it did not seem right, though he had to admit that it did look like any other building this far out from a city. Shaking his head to bring himself out of the trance he was being pulled into, Gohan took a step toward the building to make sure the old man was all right before he left. He knew he would not be able to live with himself if he did not check before returning back to his own home.  
  
"Excuse, sir, are you in there?" called out Gohan suddenly realizing that he had never caught the name of the old man. Taking a few more steps in the direction of the house, Gohan found his curiosity rise. A feeling of wonder overtook the young saiya-jin boy as he strode to figure out what made him think so oddly of the building. Gohan was about to take another step when he stopped abruptly. The ground underneath him began to shake violently, almost causing the half saiya-jin to stumble forward. Quickly righting himself, Gohan stood his ground, his muscles and mind tense from the sudden movement of the earth. He knew something was wrong, the shaking did not seem natural to him.  
  
Looking uneasily toward the building in front of him, Gohan's eyes narrowed as he glazed forward. He had a bad feeling that he could only hope would not come true, though he knew it was in vain, hope was the only thing the boy had. He had been through so much in the last few days that he truly wished that he had been mistaken and that it had only been a small earthquake or a tremor. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Gohan's tensed uneasily as he heard a noise come from inside the house.  
  
"Are you sure you don't want something before you go?" called out the old man's voice from inside the house as if nothing had happened.  
  
Gohan's eyes quickly darted toward the house, where he stared at with tense and narrow eyes until he saw the figure of the old man walking out of the front door, a teapot gripped tightly in his small hands. Gohan let out a long breath as he straightened up and out of his defensive stance. His mind more at ease and his muscles untensing from the moment of near panic that had swept over him. "No thanks, I really should go." Said Gohan loud enough for the old man to hear him. He knew he had better leave soon or his mother would give him a huge yelling for being gone so long. Gulping, Gohan could only imagine what she would have to say to him if he stayed out any longer.   
  
Waving a quick good bye to the old man, Gohan turned his back and was about to take a leap into the when he heard the old man calling after him. Faltering in mid air, Gohan feet hit the ground with a small crash as he quickly righted himself after being taken by surprise. "Huh?" said Gohan to himself as he caught his balance and prepared to turn around and face the old man. As he did so Gohan's dark eyes widened as he glazed at the sight in front of him. Fear and surprise gripped his mind and brought him down into a state of unknowing as he glazed ahead toward where the old man stood. His mouth ajar, Gohan stared at the sight of Tinokoto.  
  
To be continued...  
  
  
On a little side note, I was looking through my old chapters and I noticed a huge   
mistake that I've been making when writing my story! I noticed that I was spelling   
'chi' and 'ki' different ways at different times when they're the same word just   
spelled differently! Geez, I must have started that by accident and kept doing that!   
I'm sorry if that confused anyone, if you still have no clue what I'm talking about you   
can email me and I'll explain better. I fixed that problem with this chapter and WILL   
make sure to correct it on any new chapters. So, watcha guys think of this chapter?   
You know I love the comments!   



	7. GJ - Part 7

Gohan's Journey  
Chapter VII  
  
  
  
"Wha...what? No way..." Gohan muttered to himself as he looked shocked toward the sight of Tinokoto. The old man was no where to be seen and Gohan could only feel his stupidity for being tricked. He had let his guard down for only a moment and it had been his downfall. Taking a deep breath, Gohan tried in vain to control his raging emotions that were screaming to be let out. Balling his fingers into an angry fist, Gohan stared transfixed at the sight of Tinokoto, hate shown clearly on his young features.  
  
"How nice of you to stop by. I hope you are not planning to fight me again. Have you already forgotten what happened last time?" said Tinokoto with a bitter laugh that sent a chill down Gohan's spine.  
  
"You tricked me..." said Gohan between clenched teeth. His anger was rising and he was having a tough time controlling himself. He only hoped he could hold on for a little bit longer. He just had to if he had any chance of thinking clearly.  
  
"And how easy it was to do so. You saiya-jins are not as cleaver as we had originally thought. Actually, you are quite naive." Said Tinokoto mockingly, his voice booming through the now eerily quiet landscape.   
  
No longer did Gohan hear the smooth sounds of the birds chirping; instead he heard the over powering androidic voice of Tinokoto. He winced inwardly as his mind brought him back to his last fight. How he had been foolish and over confident for a change. He had underestimated the bio-androids and that had been his downfall, he would not let it happen again. "This ends here and now. I won't give you the chance to hurt anyone else!" shouted Gohan as he moved into a defensive stance. His eyes narrowed and locked on the figure of Tinokoto. His dark eyes flashed teal as a small golden aura of ki began to surround his body.  
  
"What makes you think we want anyone else but you?" asked Tinokoto as he moved away from the house and walked toward the impending Gohan. His large feet left marks on the earth from his huge weight that broke the fragile ground with each heavy step. His tail wavered slightly behind his back and brushed against the ground every once in a while as if it were to heavy to keep in the air, though Tinokoto showed no signs of strain when rising it above his head.  
  
Gohan bit the top of his dry lip; his mind set and ready as he watched Tinokoto walking closer and closer to him, trying to break his nerves with his confident glaze. Gohan stood as ready as possible, his hands in front of him and ready to block any attack launched at him while his legs were spread apart and planted firmly into the ground. Taking a deep breath Gohan slowly exhaled to calm his mind and nerves, he was not going to give Tinokoto a good chance to win again.  
  
"So I see that you have yet to learn from your mistakes." Said Tinokoto as he stopped walking less than ten feet away from Gohan. A moment of silence slowly passed as Tinokoto stared transfixed at the sight of the young saiya-jin boy that he knew would provide as no challenge for him to beat. But perhaps... a loud laugh erupted from the depths of Tinokoto's voice as the thought crossed his mind. The boy did have strength and he would be a hassle to bring into the ship when at full power.  
  
"I will give you one chance and only one." Started Tinokoto as he looked down at the young saiya-jin boy, his blue androidic eyes locked on the small figure that he loomed over. "Will you come peacefully, or shall we bring you by force? The choice is your's." said Tinokoto as he moved his glaze away from the saiya-jin and turned around to walk away, mentally hoping that the boy would choose to fight, then perhaps the day would be interesting after all. Walking away from the boy without waiting for an answer, Tinokoto only turned around when he reached the front of the house, bringing his arms up and folding them over his chest Tinokoto smirked and waited for Gohan's answer.  
  
"I'll never go with you..."   
  
Tinokoto smiled at the boy's answer, he was very naive after all. "Very well," said Tinokoto simply as he looked forwardly at the saiya-jin, a cruel smile playing on his lips that did not suit him at all. Though he found it hard not to smile, the thought of hurting the saiya-jin was too good to pass and it would also provide entertainment for the time being. "Bring him under our control, warriors." Said Tinokoto without moving his glaze away from Gohan. "And do try not to hurt him...too badly." Finished Tinokoto as he laughed menacingly.  
  
Gohan's dark eyes darted back and forth as he tried to figure out who Tinokoto was talking to, though he had a good idea that he was talking to other bio-androids that he had fought already. Knowing the situation to be struggle, Gohan raised his ki level, allowing his power to surge throughout his body and strength him. Clenching his teeth tightly together, Gohan's eyes flashed teal while his hair began to stick up into the air, the once long black strands changing to gold as a thick golden aura surrounded his body. Feeling the powerful ki filling into his veins and giving him strength, Gohan just hoped that he would be able to defeat the bio-androids and be rid of them forever, he knew the earth did not need another problem plaguing it's life inhabitants.  
  
Gohan was jerked from his thoughts when his sensitive ears caught the slight sound of the ground shaking underneath him. Darting his eyes around the area quickly, Gohan eyes went wide as he watched several of the other bio-androids walk out from behind the house.  
  
One, two three... Twelve, thirteen, fourteen...  
  
Gohan winced inwardly as he counted the numbers off in his head. They were all there, every single bio-android he had had the unluck of seeing when he first came across the crashing space ship, if had been crashing at all. Breathing slowly, Gohan calmed his mind as he cleared his head. He knew he needed to have his complete and utter attention on the fight at hand, nothing else mattered but that.  
  
Nineteen bio-androids slowly made their way toward the awaiting figure of Gohan. They walked with confidence on their side toward the helpless saiya-jin that they knew they would be able to defeat, if not, they knew their commander would easily defeat him. The large androids all stopped their marching as they came to Tinokoto, showing complete respect to the more powerful android that could easily destroy them with a flick of his wrist.  
  
"One at a time now, we don't want to overwhelm him, yet." Said Tinokoto as a wicked grin swept across his face. The other bio-androids nodded at his words and the strongest of the nineteen stepped forward, marching proudly toward Gohan.  
  
Gohan felt his muscles tense as the large android walked toward him. Though smaller than the rest, Gohan could clearly tell by the way he moved that he packed a hard punch. 'Just be calm, you can do this,' thought Gohan to himself as he steadied his mind. Taking a deep breath Gohan prepared for the worst, it was all he could do at this point.  
  
The short, for his model, android walked confidently to Gohan, not stopping until he was a mere four feet from the halfbreed. He smirked at the figure of the lesser being, thinking that this was going to be no challenge whatsoever to his capabilities. Waving his short and stubby tail high behind his back, the android brought his legs back and steadied himself for the assault ahead. Giving Gohan a quick wink he said slowly, "Meet you're death weakling." Charging at full speed toward the figure of Gohan the android brought back his fist and prepared to drive it straight through the body of the saiya-jin.  
  
Gohan stood motionless as the android ran toward him. He was ready for the attack, seeing it far in advance from the movement and style in which the android had begun his assault. Gohan mentally counted off the seconds before the hard fist would collide with his body, he already knew the sneer force of it would knock him well away from his position even though his feet were planted firmly to the ground.   
  
Five, four, three...   
  
At the least second Gohan's concentrated his energy and faded away from the bio-android's fist, his body disappearing from sight.  
  
The surprised android had little time to recover from the sudden disappearance of the boy, his body still moving forward from running at full speed as he passed several feet beyond the spot where the saiya-jin boy had been. Anger flared it's way through the android's computerized mind as his eyes scanned the area for the boy, ready to attack at any moment.  
  
Using the moment of the android's forward momentum against him, Gohan quickly reappeared behind the android. Letting out a scream of fury, Gohan swiftly made a huge fist with his two hands and brought them well over his head. Bringing them down on the unturned back of the android with all his might, Gohan felt as his attack caused the surprised android to fall to his knees. Taking every chance possible, Gohan quickly regained his composure and stepped close to the android's side, prepared to knee him in the gut with his leg.  
  
The android winced with pain, though allowing only the smallest hint to be showed through his proud eyes that would not subjugate to the young one's attacks. A small scarlet substance protruded from the corner of his artificial lips, though he ignored it and looked for the boy's next attack. Sensing it quickly, the android moved with a quick hand to grap hold of Gohan's leg that had been rested too close to his attacker's body. The android smirked at Gohan's holes in his defense, a mistake like that would be the perfect opportunity for someone crash on his entire defense. Yanking at the foot with all his strength, the android watched as a look of surprise crossed the boy's face. He had seen his mistake and now it was too late.   
  
Gohan landed with a loud thud against the ground as he felt his leg being pulled from under him by a strong force. Scolding himself mentally for his mistake, Gohan quickly tried to right himself into a standing position but found himself unable to move as the android pinned down his entire leg with his strong grip. Though short for his statue, the android did have a lot of power as he had predicted.   
  
Gohan watched helplessly as the android prepared to bring a hard punch down on him while he was unable to move or block easily in his state. Quickly bringing up his free leg, Gohan leveled it with the android's head, who had been too busy with his assault to notice, and swiftly hit him against the head. Gohan gasped as he realized he was too slow and in vain tried to grab the powerful fist flying toward him with his hands. Gohan felt a stinging sensation in his back as he was pushed into the earth, the dry and fragile ground breaking under him. Though the assault was less forceful from grabbing hold of his fist, Gohan could not allude the pain that he felt as the earth stuck up and painfully hit him in the back. He felt as if his lungs were being stomped on, the air no longer flowing throughout his body. Gohan gasped for a breath. His vision wavered and he felt himself weaken, though he knew he had to get up or he would be pinned down permanently. Pushing against all odds, Gohan used as much of his strength as possible to push away the fist of the android. His muscles tensed and felt great strain as all his efforts failed. It was useless; he was not strong enough.  
  
The android grinned, loving the look of pure terror and pain as he pushed his fist through the boy's hands and into his chest, hitting the air out of his lungs. The boy's arms were not strong enough and soon collapsed at his sides as he used the last of his strength to try and move away his powerful fist. The android held back a hard laugh at his efforts; he was nothing to him. The android was ready; ready to add a little more power to his effort and to punch his flying fist straight through the boy, thus ending the fight. But also bringing his own end. The words of his commander were drilled into his head: "The boy must remain alive," he recalled from the lecturing he and the other androids had received from Tinokoto.   
  
The android grinned down at the boy, watching his face contort with pain. He was gasping for air now, the android had barely allowed him enough breathing space, he could not imagine how it felt. Satisfied that he had destroyed the boy's confidence and had wounded him, the android released his fist from the boy, quickly driving it away from his body and standing up straight. He grinned down at the saiya-jin boy that was talked about so highly. He seemed weak and pitiful through the android's eyes. Straying his glance away from Gohan, the android looked toward his commander and awaited his orders. He saw him give a nod in his general direction, the android beamed at the praise, which was rarely given.   
  
Gohan's lungs burned intensely. He could barely breath, and he felt a darkness approaching his vision when it suddenly left. The fist, the one that had been pounding its way deeper into his stomach, causing him to lose his breath and to falter. He stopped. The attacked stopped. Gohan coughed hard, feeling small droplets of a substance gathering in the back of his throat. He knew immediately that it was the scarlet substance that ran throughout his whole body, the blow to his stomach and lower chest had hurt him badly. Pushing himself onto his elbows, his back aching incredibly from the strain placed on it, Gohan brought a hand up to his face and wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. Looking at his hand he saw the scarlet substance that he had wiped away. The look of it taunted him.  
  
Narrowing his eyes, Gohan shot a glare toward the android, who stood ignoring him as he waited for his next orders. Pushing himself up into a standing position, Gohan quickly righted himself, finding his legs weak and fragile under his own weight. Anger swelled in his pride as the saiya-jin half of him raged, burning with anger to kill the android. To rip him to spreads and then fry the remaining parts into dust with a powerful ki blast. Clenching his teeth tightly together, Gohan faced contorted into a look of pure determination. He would not give up, not ever. As long as he could move he would never give up hope, he would go on and fight until he had given it everything he had.   
  
  
Tinokoto watched the fight from afar. The saiya-jin boy seemed weaker, less of a threat than before, almost as if he were not the same person he was when they had first sighted him. A small frown settled on Tinokoto's cold features, he had been hoping for a chance to fight, to get his hands bloody with the saiya-jin's blood, but he obviously was not going to be a challenge to him. He could easily take over the boy, he would be down in one punch and dead by the second punch. A wicked smile played at Tinokoto's face as he waved a hand absently at the android who was fighting Gohan. He was one of their more powerful androids, though he was small and had many weaknesses. He thought the fight between him and Gohan would have been better; perhaps more interesting. Though he was soon finding that Gohan was no match for him. He chuckled bitterly as he watched the android wait for his orders; whether to precede or to discontinue.  
  
"Send in the next warrior, Jusu is much too powerful for Son Gohan to handle." Said Tinokoto to the android standing next to him. Though Tinokoto would have delighted himself in the idea of watching his warriors inflict more pain on the young one, Tinokoto remembered his orders clearly: he was to bring back Son Gohan alive.  
  
The taller warrior next to him quickly nodded and bowed his head in respect. Then, turning to the android waiting in the battlefield, he motioned for him to come back to the rest of the group.   
  
"Conki, you are next." He called out, relating his commander's orders as Jusu walked back toward the group, a small frown shown clearly on his face for having to end the fight so soon.  
  
  
Gohan's frustration boiled as he watched the android walk away from him. The saiya-jin half of his mind was screaming at him, telling him that he should not been taken so lightly as to turn have someone's back turned to him. Pushing himself forward, Gohan quickly raised his ki and flew in front of the android. Gingerly landing on the ground, his boots barely causing any noise as they planted themselves firmly on the hard surface. Balling his fingers into tight fists Gohan stood in the path of android, his anger flaring. Ignoring the pain throughout his body and limbs, Gohan charged up his ki and ran at the android, his fist moving backward and ready to throw a hard punch as soon as he was close enough.  
  
Jusu was surprised, nonetheless. The saiya-jin boy had spirit, he would admit it, though he knew his efforts were in vain. Glad for the welcoming presence of continuing the fight, the android quickly brought back his legs and stood in a defensive stance, ready for the young one's attack. The speed in which he came to him was mind throbbing. He was quick, quicker than anyone the android had ever seen. Bringing his hands up to cover his face and prepared to block for the attack, the android stood ready smirking as he thought about how weak the boy was and how his punch could do nothing to hurt him.  
  
Gohan raced toward the android mentally counting off the seconds before impact. Before his fist would collide with his body, hopefully penetrating his defenses enough to weaken him and give Gohan the chance to attack again. Narrowing his eyes, Gohan cursed to himself silently as he saw the android move into a defensive position, there was no way his attack would get threw and Gohan knew it. But the young saiya-jin had more than one trick that he could easily pull on android as he saw the huge flaw in his defense. He had shielded his eyes, Gohan could stop and go at him from any direction without him ever noticing. Taking the chance Gohan quickened his pace, racing right in front of the android and going threw with the punch when he suddenly disappeared from sight, his fist never colliding with the android. He reappeared almost as soon as he disappeared, only this time he was aloft in the air slight above the android, his hands brought together and quickly building up into ki blast.  
  
Jusu had no clue where he was as he began to remove his arms from his vision, he never knew where Gohan had been as he felt a sudden wave of pain. Falling to the ground in agony, he looked down at his himself. He was covered in his own blood and had a huge gaping hole in his side from a ki blast that the saiya-jin boy had attacked him with. His blue androidic eyes quickly darted left and right as he tried to catch the sight of the boy, anger filling into his head and clouding his mind. He saw his body, standing right next to him, one hand out stretched through the rest, his fingers held apart as he built up energy and prepared to let go of another ki blast that would end the android's life. Jusu watched as the saiya-jin boy looked away, his eyes closed as if not wanting to watch the death that he was about to lay upon the android even though he had tempted to kill him at first sight. Then he released the ki attack and the last thing Jusu saw was the turned head of the saiya-jin named Son Gohan.   
  
Gohan looked away, he could not bare the sight of watching himself kill someone. Clenching his teeth tightly together Gohan turned his body away from where the android had been, he did not need to look to know he was dead. Taking a deep breath, Gohan calmed his mind. His mind was racing with thoughts, fear, emotions, and the sign of death. He had killed someone, someone who would have killed him had it not been for special orders. Gohan had ended his life and he felt bad about it. He never wanted to be a killer, he just wanted to do what was right and protect what he loved. These androids wanted to destroy what he loved, the saiya-jin half of him reasoned that was enough of a reason to destroy the creature, though his other more calm and not so bloody thirsty half reasoned that there was a "better way" to deal with the situation. He could have, after all, of beaten him unconscious, but he had not done that. He had shot the ki blast and had ended his life.   
  
He was a murderer. Son Gohan was a killer.  
  
  
Tinokoto let a brief moment of shock cross his face as he watched the fight, his attention thoroughly gained as he saw Son Gohan get up and actually try to attack Jusu! But what surprised him more was that he had actually done it, he had beaten Jusu and killed him in the process. Though, Tinokoto found it hard to believe that the boy almost looked upset that he had killed off one of them. Tinokoto stood straight and smirked at this, he knew the boy had a soft spot but he had never imagined it to be so big. It was a flaw, and a huge one by Tinokoto's standards.  
  
  
All his life he had been protected. Protected by his mother, his father, his friends. He never once fought for himself, nor had he until now. Now he knew what it was like to be a killer, a person who had ended the life of another. Several years ago, before the Cell Games, before his father's death, Gohan had never thought about it this way. He had thought of it as a means of survive a sort of "I win, you lose" type of thing. That nothing would really happen, though it always did, he was only oblivious to the real fact of death. Now that fact haunted him.  
  
Gohan wanted to leave, he wanted to go home and be with his brother and mother, to protect them from harm and evil. He did not want to be here, fighting though he knew in sense he was fighting for his family's lives. He was scared, he was tired, and he was not sure how long he would be able to go on. He had been defeated once and it could be done so again.  
  
Taking a step toward Tinokoto and the rest of the remaining androids Gohan let a harsh glare cover his emotions that were quickly building on him. He tried to push them away, to ignore them and later contemplate them when and if he ever would have the chance. Right now he had to keep his mind on the battle ahead, he knew they were not going to give up that easily, it was a given. Taking a deep breath Gohan steadied him; brining his left leg back and his right leg slightly forward so that he would stay in an even and balanced position as his legs stuck firmly onto the hard dry ground. His eyes were narrow and emotionless as he stared at the rest them menacingly, a pure look of evil spreading onto his features and making his saiya-jin heritage proud, though he was not. He stood there waiting with his hands held out in front of himself prepared to block or attack when necessary. He would not give up without a fight, he would not surrender to his more human side and just let them take him, he would subjugate to his saiya-jin will and be prepared for the upcoming assault that he was surely about to face. He had too, it was the only thing he could do.  
  
  
A snarl grew in the back of Tinokoto's throat as he watched Son Gohan stand and wait for the next android. He had killed one of his strongest fighters but Tinokoto would not pass up the chance to let his "weaker" androids fight. Grinning Tinokoto waved a hand at the android next to him, signaling for the next of his warriors to attack. Watching with narrowed eyes as Conki, his third ranking officer, walked out into the battlefield a small smile crept onto Tinokoto's face. Conki would be a good match for the saiya-jin boy, though not as strong as Jusu he was quick for his huge size and he would easily be able to take the boy's attacks without faltering. Tinokoto smirked as his attention remained ahead at the battle about to precede, he knew this would be interesting.  
  
  
Gohan's eyes narrowed, his mind alert and his body posed ready for any attack. He watched with a critical eye as another android walked out into the battlefield. This one was much different from the last one he had fought. He was tall, but not as muscular that alluded to the fact that he was probably fast. Squinting his eyes against the bright sun that had rose as he fought, Gohan bit down on his teeth. The fainted hints of a snarl worked on his young features as the wind blew back his hair out of his face. He watched, his eyes locked on the big android closing in on him, as the android walked up next to him, only stopping when he was within a foot of Gohan.   
  
Conki stood looking emotionlessly at the young saiya-jin boy in front of him. He wore no expression as he towered far above the boy's tallest height. Moving one hand out in front of him and stretching it out so that it were mere inches from the boy's face, Conki steadily built up a large amount of ki in his hand. He watched as the saiya-jin named Son Gohan took a step back nervously, his hands posed in front of him and ready for any sort of attack landed at him. He stood rooted in his position, unwilling to move for Conki or to even save his own life. Pitiful, thought Conki as he released the ki blast letting it fly straight for the small boy, no remorse or regret shown on his cold features.  
  
Quickly jumping to the side at the obvious signs of the android releasing the ki blast, Gohan quickly rolled over his shoulder and stood back up. The ki blast had missed him by a long shot. Giving himself a little jump into the air, Gohan's body remained aloft as he flew toward the impending sight of the android, his fingers made into a fist that was ready to strike.  
  
Sensing the obvious attack that was being thrown at him, Conki quickly ducked to the side as Gohan flew past him, shocked from seeing how fast he had moved. Conki grinned, showing his first sign of emotion as he quickly brought an elbow down on the boy. He was surprised at how quickly he regained his composure as his elbow met with the flat of the saiya-jin's arm. Throwing several punches at him, Conki quickly maneuvered his punches searching for the wholes in the boy's defense. He spotted one, using the opportunity to strike him in the side but was quickly stopped as his fist met with the boy's raised knee. He blocked the attack, surprising Conki, who would have never have used his leg to block such an attack.  
  
Gohan quickly used the moment of surprise against the android as he left a whole in defense by hunching forward in order to punch him. Bringing his cupped hands above his head, Gohan hurled them down hard on the shoulder of the android, causing him to fall straight to the ground from the impact. Backing away from Conki as he quickly stood back up, Gohan slowly let his feet gingerly land on the ground. Eyes narrowed and transfixed on the android, Gohan waited for him to make the first move.  
  
Pushing himself up from the ground, Conki stood somewhat surprised by the boy's quickness. Smirking slowly, he waited patiently as the dust flying through the air began to settle from being disturbed by his fall. A bitter laugh rang through the android's lips as he stared at Gohan, his eyes cold and heartless. "Prepare to die, brat!" he yelled out as he charged toward Gohan, who immediately began to fly toward Conki as well. Meeting in the middle of the distance between them, both warriors quickly exchanged punches left and right, blocking when necessary, looks of determination on both.  
  
Small beads of sweat slowly rolled down Gohan's thinly curved face as his eyes remained locked on Conki. Taking deep breaths in between punches and blocks, Gohan felt himself tire. His arms were aching and his mind was unclear, making it difficult for him to respond to an assault in time. Gritting his teeth slightly, Gohan scolded himself mentally. He had to stop worrying and fight! Pushing forward with a kick, a satisfied look crossed Gohan's face as his leg connected with the android's side. Moving in for another attack while the android caught himself from his kick, Gohan quickly maneuvered behind him and aimed another kick blow for his shoulder.  
  
Conki bit the top of his lip, his anger growing for having to be embarrassed in front of his commander and comrades by a little brat. Seeing that the boy was obviously about to attack him from behind, Conki swiftly twisted his body around on one foot as his arm extended to meet the kick that Gohan was attempting to land. Grinning, Conki grabbed hold of the boy's foot and quickly yanked him down to the ground with a powerful force. Still holding the boy within the clutches of his power grasp, Conki used his other hand to power up a ki blast. Watching as a shocked look crossed the boy's face, Conki let go of the blast, standing barely a foot away.  
  
Closing his eyes tightly and clenching his teeth together, Gohan quickly brought his hands up to try and shield away the close range ki blast as best he could. He knew he had no chance of moving in time since the android was still gripping his foot tightly, causing a painful sensation to run along the young saiya-jin's leg. A scream erupted from the back of his throat as the ki blast connected with his body, causing extreme amounts of pain to rush throughout every one of his limbs. It was like being on fire, a huge and powerful fire that was burning away at your skin and causing intense amounts of pain. The blast had been small, but it had taken its toll on the young saiya-jin boy.  
  
A sheer look of happiness, an almost giddy look settled on Conki's face as he watched the helpless saiya-jin being consumed by the blast. Though he knew that it had not been enough to kill him, it would at least cause serious damage to his fragile body. Grinning, Conki released his iron grip from the boy's foot and let it fall to the ground unmoving. The ki blast slowly faded away, though area was covered in falling dust and dirt from the power of it. Wiping the look away from his face, Conki turned away from where he had last seen the boy.   
  
Conki made his way back to the area where his commander and comrades were until he was suddenly thrown several feet away when a hard punch connected with his jaw. Falling into the ground, Conki looked up with a wavering vision. Quickly collecting himself from the blow, his cold dark eyes glazed toward where he had just been moments ago. His eyes narrowed when the dust began to settle, revealing the sight of the saiya-jin brat named Gohan. The boy barely stood, his clothes ripped in several areas, many small bleeding wounds and scratches lining his legs and arms, and one large cut that ran deep into his flesh on his side was bleeding profoundly. The ki blast had obviously hit him there. His gi was soaked in his own blood, the orange color lost behind the scarlet color of his own blood. Conki smirked.  
  
Gohan took several deep breaths causing a burning sensation to run along the insides of his lungs. The pain was unbearable, but he figured he would rather breathe and live with the pain than dying. One eye partly closed, Gohan stood hunched over. He favored his right leg, the other supporting the most of his weight, while one hand remained at his bleeding side, the other balled into a tight fist in front of him. Small scarlet lines caressed his face and body as his wounds bled freely. Sweat mixed with the scarlet substance as the small droplets caressed the saiya-jin boy's forehead and ran along the side of his cheek, then down his neck until it was soaked up by his gi. Clenching his teeth tightly together Gohan forced away the pain coursing through his body. He felt an unbearable pity against for being so weak. If only he were stronger..if only had... His thoughts trailed as he glazed ahead. The android stood dumbfound in front of him, obviously thinking that saiya-jin would go down easily. A friece look crossed Gohan's normally gentle eyes as he stood glaring toward Conki. His teal eyes narrowed dangerously close, Gohan began to walk toward his assaultant, he was not about to let him get the upper hand on the battle.  
  
Walking caused a great stress against his muscles. Stepping heavily on his left leg, the other limping slightly, Gohan slowly made his way toward Conki. His speed increased as he neared him, the android not moving, a shocked look still registered on his face. Licking his dry lips with a quick swept of his tongue, Gohan gently bit down on the top of his lip nervously. Now was his chance to get the upper hand, he just needed to react. The only problem was that he was not sure he could force himself too. Pushing aside his fears and worries with great strain, Gohan quickly raised his ki level and shot through the air, his body aloft from the ground and his hands held in front of him ready to attack. He knew he would be too slow on foot, this was his last chance before it could all fall apart.  
  
Conki flexed nervously. He was not sure about the saiya-jin's abilities now that he had swipstanded a powerful ki blast and still was able to attack him when he was off guard. A small ounce of fear trickled down Conki's spine as he thought carefully about his next move, he would have to play smart now. The kid obviously not dumb and he was powerful as well. That would not be good for Conki's side. Gritting his teeth slightly, he pushed away the small worries from his mind and prepared himself from the boy's attack. He was weaker now and would probably have little chance of beating him on hand-to-hand fighting, though he had a sinking feeling that the saiya-jin would find some way to manage.  
  
Stepping to his right at the last second Conki barely was able to avoid the saiya-jin's fist as he shot pass where he had just stood. Conki stared wide eyed as the saiya-jin turned around with lightening speed and flew straight for him again, a cruel and emotionless look now replacing the once young and gentle face that Conki had first laid eyes upon.  
  
The saiya-jin boy was going to kill him. He was going to fight with everything he had now.  
  
Standing his ground Conki raised his hands up to his face in a defensive stance. Thinking carefully, Conki could only guess what the boy's next attack would provide. Whether another straightforward assault or a decoy attack, he did not know. Prepared for the worse, Conki was surprised when Gohan did not alter his course. He was obviously going for a straightforward attack just as he had done so better. Conki smirked slightly, the boy was losing his mind, he thought to himself bitterly. No one in their right mind would attack the same way over and over again that was sane, Conki reasoned, his years of fighting kicking in as he thought about the boy's attack form. It was sloppy, but one could expect much worse after the fighting and attacks he had endured. Conki grinned; perhaps these saiya-jins would be more of a challenge than he had originally thought.  
  
Gohan threw himself forward. He was not thinking clearly and he knew it. His mind was screaming at him, telling him to attack, to punch, to kick, to keep going and not to stop. He was not moving strategically and it would be his downfall. He knew punching and kicking randomly would not help his situation, it would only cause confusion. He could clearly remember when Piccolo had told him that many years ago, the time seemed so far away. Almost like a lost memory that was tucked somewhere in his subconscious mind, hidden from thought or reason. Gohan shook his head, his raven strands pulled back by the force of flying through the air. His mind was a hubbub of confusion, not allowing him to think clearly and to save himself from an ultimate mistake.   
  
Nearing Conki, his speed still constant and his fists aimed and ready in front of himself, Gohan lunged his fist outward at Conki. His forward momentum stopped immediately, as he brought his knee up and to Conki, hoping to land a deep knee to his stomach with the distraction of his first punch. Sweat drops streamed down the sides of Gohan's brow, the small droplets of sweat gingerly sliding down the curves of his cheeks as he pushed himself onward. His body ached, screaming at him to crease his movements and to rest, though he did not alter his attacks, his saiya-jin half pushing him onward to glory and victory.  
  
Conki was stunned, though prepared for the young saiya-jin's assaults. He quickly jerked his head to the side, the boy's fist only lightly glazing his cheek as he attempted to kick the android in the stomach. Moving his hands quickly, Conki brought his hands together, catching the boy's knee and blocking the attack before he had a chance to hit him. The saiya-jin responded with bringing his other leg up and over his own body, attempting to connect with Conki's head. He ducked quickly, barely missing Gohan's leg as it swept just over his head. Reacting quickly, Conki brought a tightly closed fist on the saiya-jin's back as the momentum of his kick caused his back to remain to him for only the briefest moment. The moment had been enough for Conki, as his fist connected with the boy's back, sending him hurling forward. He watched somewhat fascinated as the boy righted himself after toppling over the ground several times, his body already moving into a defensive position. The boy had skills, though he was obviously too weak to hurt him.  
  
"Give up, you are finished." Called out Conki, his voice echoing softly as a small laugh escaped from his lips. He grinned at the boy as look of anger crossed his face, the remark had pushed him even farther to the edge of his rope. To the point where he would no longer except reason and think blindly, it would be an easy victory then.  
  
Gohan's teal eyes narrowed dangerously close as he glared at the android, his anger reaching a high point. He could feel his anger pulling at him and causing him to loose what rationalism he had left. He gritted his teeth together lightly, his mind working quickly to think of some way to get the upper hand on the android. His options were limited and he knew was low on strength. He could already feel the strain of the fight beating down heavily against him.  
  
"That's enough!" yelled out Gohan, his frustration taking over him. He had only one option left at this point, if it did not work it could possibly mean the end of him. Bringing his hands in front of him, his muscles tensing as he moved his palms outward, the tips of his fingers slightly bent inward. "Ka..." his voice rang from the depth of his lungs. A power began to build in the amist of his palm, a small blue glow beginning to form as he tilted his head forward slightly, several golden strands flying in front of his face. "Me..." his muscled tensed, tightening under the power that was steadily growing, robbing the young saiya-jin of his own power as it did so. His arms jolted backward, his body tilted sideways, almost as it were protecting the power ki building within his grasp with his shoulders. His eyes narrowed, their teal depth lost behind a look of pure concentration as he stared at Conki, his target picked and located dead in front of him.  
  
Conki laughed, his voice ringing from his throat as he watched the boy's final attempt against him. He smiled, knowing that the young saiya-jin would not be able to gain enough strength in one blast to destroy him, the thought of that being possible was laughable. In fact he did laugh, he laughed at the foolish brat that stood in front of him, thinking he could possible beat him. The thought of it impossible in the android's man-made mind.  
  
"Ha..." Gohan continued, ignoring the laughter coming from his target. Several beams of bright blue shot from his cupped hands, the light shining into the sky and setting a mystical scene. He clenched his teeth tightly together, feeling the raw power held within his hands, the intensity of it wearing down on the young saiya-jin as he prepared himself for the final stage and then the end of either himself or the android. "Me..." his voice lowered somewhat as he spoke, the tone deadly serious yet calm, as if he already knew the outcome of his blast. Conki seemed unafraid of his attack, though Gohan knew he would think in such a way toward an attack at moment, the remaining of his power drawing into the attack.  
  
He felt himself weakening, barely able to hold the attack in place as he rooted his feet firmly in the ground. The earth below his feet shook under him, the power of his attack causing pieces of the dry ground to fly upward from its original hold and into the air where it was turned into dust from the magnitude of the concentrated ki.  
  
"HA!" his voice boomed through the air, the sound of his voice echoing into the background. His hands moved in front of him, his shoulders facing forward as he released the awesome power of a kamehameha aimed directly at Conki. Gohan felt his feet fall back into the earth, digging a hole into the dry ground as the power of his own attack caused him to fall back slightly, though he remained in his position, unwilling to let go of his attack until he had completed his task. He clenched his teeth tightly together as his powerful ki blast reached the surprised Conki, the blast engulfing him in the bright blue light.  
  
A scream was heard from the depths of the blue light, obviously belonging to the android named Conki. Never had he expected to be thrown such a powerful attack and from a saiya-jin child nonetheless. He felt his life slipping away, his body parts slowly breaking away from their original hold as the intensity of the concentrated ki ripped through his body and devoured him.  
  
Gohan felt himself barely able to hold the ki blast back, the power of it quickly draining from him as he pushed it onward. He heard the scream coming from the android's voice, wincing inwardly at the horrifying sound that ringed in his sensitive ears. He gulped, slowly releasing from the attack, his body no longer able to sustain such a large amount of ki at his present state. The energy released from his hands immediately, the blue light disappearing slowly as it faded into a clear color, the excess ki lost. Gohan felt a great relief lifted from himself as he smiled crookedly, one eyes partly open as he stumbled slightly forward, his stance unsteady as he strained to hold himself upright. His golden strands flashed black, their golden color slowly fading to their original raven strands as his teal eyes shined, following the same pattern. He felt himself powering down, unable to keep himself in super saiya-jin form without continuing to weaken himself more. He needed his strength at this point and he knew he had to reserve as much of it as he could.   
  
Taking several deep breaths, Gohan looked toward where his kamehameha had been aimed. His dark eyes widened slightly as he glazed at the area, nothing left there but charred ground and a large whole that the ki blast had made against the earth. The saiya-jin boy let out a small sigh of relief. He had done it, he had defeated the android. A drunken glaze overtook his body, glad that he had been victorious and that he could make his saiya-jin heritage proud. His dark eyes shined as his vision wavered. He felt delirious, barely conscious of the fact that the rest of the bio-androids had begun to approach him.   
  
To be continued...  
  
----  
And there you have it, my first completely fighting chapter in GJ. So watcha think? Good, bad, horrible? I like the feedback! Tell me watcha think...  



	8. GJ - Part 8

I'm so SORRY this took so long to get done! I have been seriously swamped with homework and studying for finals at my school. It's been to the point where I only have a limited time to work on writing and only on the weekends. And much to my distaste I have had a horrible case of writer's block for the last three weeks. Its been a horrible process of getting through this chapter and breaking through the writer's block. But, thankfully, I'm threw with it and will most likely be able to get the next chapter out much sooner. Don't expect the chapters to come out as frequently as they use to until my summer break starts June 1st, until then I'm just going to have to write as much as possible in my free time. Again, so sorry for this being late! I'm also working on another story as well featuring our much loved Gohan that I will start posting in the summer. I'll probably shorten my chapters and upload more for you guys to read until I'm outta school so expect more frequent chapters out of me from now on. The next one should be out sometime next week.  
  
  
Gohan's Journey  
Chapter VIII  
  
  
Son Goku blinked his dark eyes as he stared out into the distance, his eyes lost in a thoughtful look. He glazed over the vast area that was encompassed with puffy white clouds that floated ground level with the rocky structure in which he was standing upon. His eyes slowly closed, a long breath escaping between parted lips as he tried to make himself relax. His muscles were tense, strained and worn out over his mind's worries that seemed to constantly be nagging his normal confident ideals. He was worried and worried about his son. It had only been a short while on the earth since he had warned his son in his dreams about the horrible bio-androids that threatened to take over the earth, but to him it seemed like an eternity. The wait, his impatience on a high, was slowly but surely driving him insane. He didn't like not being able to be down there protecting the ones he loved instead of having to wait above them, on the side lines, like he didn't care about them at all.   
  
His eyes slowly opened, his head shaking slowly as the movement caused his thick raven strands to sway above his head. He wasn't thinking clearly and he was beginning to become delusional over the matter. He knew that no one would think badly of him because he could not come to their rescue, but he could not help but feel worried over how his son was fairing. He didn't know, having not been able to check on his whereabouts for several hours, what was going on. He knew he needed King Kai's help to check on him but unfortunately just transporting Goku into Gohan's subconscious was enough to wear out the Kaio for the next few hours, so forth Goku waited.   
  
He bit his upper lip absently, trying to allude his thoughts to something else. He had a lot to explain to the younger saiya-jin and not enough time to do it in. He felt frustrated that he could not give Gohan the explanation he deserved nor the information he needed. Time seemed just so limited here.  
  
A soft sigh rang from the saiya-jin's mouth, his normal confidence gone. He couldn't be confident in the situation at hand, it was all too uncertain and he wasn't there to make sure everyone would be all right in the end. To be the person that everyone relied upon. He didn't doubt Gohan or anyone elses' abilities, but he just felt better knowing that he was there to fight when one of them could not, the safety was gone. And the safety had ended his life at the hands of Cell. A soft growl admitted from Goku's throat at his thoughts, his anger flaring for a moment before he quickly gained control over it. The beast had taunted his son, nearly killed the entire earth and then, above all else, made him hurt his own son by killing the fiend and himself to save everyone elses' lives. It was a horrible decision to have to make but it was the only possible one at the time. There were no more options then; it was now or never. And Goku wasn't willing to let his friends die; it wasn't an option.  
  
"I don't know how much longer I can take this..." said Goku to himself quietly, his voice barely reaching above a whisper. All this worrying was wearing him out and causing him to lose much valued energy on small things and problems. He sighed deeply, his breath rumbling from his chest as he moved to sit down on the edge of a rocky structure. His legs hanged over the edge, carelessly dangling, his heels gently hitting against the base of the rocky structure in which he was sitting upon. His hands moved to rest in his lap, his eyes downcast as he stared at them, slowly opening and closing a fist.  
  
His dark eyes snapped up, his head jerking as he twisted his body to look behind him at a small sound coming from around him. His raven strands swayed at his movements, the thick strands hanging out in all direction until slowly settling down and returning to their normal positions. His eyes narrowed slightly, his senses on alert as he heard the faint shifting of pebbles against the solid surface.  
  
"Who's there?" he called out, his voice stern and forceful. He didn't want to play games anymore, he was too on the edge at this point.  
  
"Whoa...Just calm down Goku, its only me." Called out a nervous voice from the opposite end of the rocky structure. The figure of the large blue tinted Kaio named King Kai walked into the view of the edgy saiya-jin, his feet padding lightly against the ground.   
  
Goku let out a long breath, turning his back to the Kaio as his eyes went back to staring into the distance. He quickly masked his thoughtful expression, changing it with one of the normal Goku that everyone saw. The cheerful, always confident person that never gives up hope. He could never truly expression his true feelings in front of others, his saiya-jin heritage holding back the things that they thought of as a weakness. He never was able to express his real emotions to but a few select people. "Feeling better?" he asked softly, knowing that the Kaio had been weakened quite a bit after teleporting him inside of Gohan's subconscious.  
  
"Yeah well after you have to transport a big lug like you around, you tell me how you feel." Screeched out King Kai, a visible sweatdrop forming on his brow.  
  
"Whoa, sorry King Kai. I didn't mean to make you so tired. I really really needed to talk to Gohan." Said Goku in apology, his hands moving to support his weight against the rocky structure as he leaned back. He looked up at the Kaio apologetically, giving him a reassuring smile before settling back into his thoughts. His raven strands stuck out in all directions around his face, the messy strands hovering above his face as he slowly closed his eyes.  
  
"Goku..."  
  
One of Goku's eyes opened partly as he heard King Kai's voice venture into the small silence that had built. "What is it?" he asked after a moment, opening his eyes fully as he pushed himself up and into a sitting position. He looked at the Kaio scruntinizingly, his dark eyes taking in the smallest of his movements that would allude to the Kaio's thoughts. He stood up slowly, brushing off his gi with the palm of his hand as he did so, his eyes looking toward King Kai patiently, a look of curiosity on his face at what the Kaio had to say.  
  
"Goku, its about Gohan. I can't sense him anymore."  
  
  
  
  
Tinokoto's face was masked in anger as he stared at the young saiya-jin boy barely standing in the battlefields. Now he had gone to far, Tinokoto would no longer allow his top ranker officers to perish by a weak saiya-jin child. His blue eyes narrowed, staring intentively at the saiya-jin as he stumbled forward, barely catching himself before falling to the ground. "Now its my turn, Son Gohan." Spoke Tinokoto harshly, his voice sending shivers down the artificial spines of his troops as he began to walk toward the battlefield. None questioned him, none daring to let themselves be killed by the reign of their master and commander. They were all weaklings compared to him, and this Son Gohan would be nothing for him to handle yet again. The other bio-androids watched, their faces transfixed on the fight about to begin. It was one-sided, unfair, cruel, dirty, as well as many other things, but none spoke, all eyes glued to the scene about to take place.  
  
Tinokoto's large stride sent the ground shaking as his large feet hit against the ground, causing large holes to be left where his feet had stepped. With his arms across his chest, Tinokoto stared ahead at the sight of Son Gohan, the saiya-jin brat that had managed to kill three of his men all together. It was unexceptable and he would no longer tolerate it. It was his turn to battle the super saiya-jin, or what was left of him.   
  
Stopping abruptly, several feet away from Gohan, Tinokoto looked the young saiya-jin over. He was barely standing, the look on his face barely registering the pain he was about to feel. He was bleeding profoundly from his side, his gi soaked in his own scarlet blood, the orange color lost in a red hue. Cuts and small wounds from defending blows and assaults covered his body, his clothes ripped in many places from them. He favored his right leg, his left leg holding all his weight as he rested one hand on his side. His pure raven hair fell in front of his face, covering parts of his dark eyes that did not look up to meet Tinokoto. They glazed downward, weak and out of power. The boy had obviously used the last of his strength in his last attack, draining himself of his own power in the process. He was so weak he could not even keep himself in the super saiya-jin transformation.   
  
Tinokoto spat down toward the saiya-jin, his distaste for the being obviously shown as he looked down at him with a gruff look. His lips twisted into a purely wicked smile as he glazed down at the saiya-jin, his voice stinging holes into the young one's broken mind. "Not quite good enough, huh? Didn't think you last as long as you did, but still weak..." he snorted at the saiya-jin, mockingly taunting him. "You arrogant fool, just like your father and your kind. Everything is true, the saiya-jin society is full of nothing but leftovers fighting for the last bit of scraps on the table."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Gohan looked downward, his dark eyes too tired and weak to bother doing anything but staring forward. His head tilted on his chest, his breath rising quickly as he strained to engulf as much air as possible into his lungs. He was tired, sore, and he wanted to go home. But he knew he could not, he had to continue to fight. He had to push himself on and not stop even though he was tired. He was fighting for earth and for it's people, he could not give up.   
  
His dark eyes slowly looked upward as he heard the obvious signs of someone approaching. His glaze locked on the figure of Tinokoto, his eyes narrowing as the android stood only feet away from him. He heard the menacing android taunt him, calling him weak. Gohan knew better than to listen to his words, knowing that he was only trying to provoke him into fighting and getting himself killed. Gohan was not about to do that, he knew he was too weak to beat Tinokoto, the android was at full strength and would most likely beat him dead to the ground in only a few well placed punches or kicks. Gohan gulped, mentally being pushed over the edge by his own selfish worries.   
  
He knew he could not give up, that even if it killed him he would have to continue onward. Moving his cut and bruised arms in front of him, his body slowly straining into an upright position as he opened one eye fully, the other partly closed against the pain he was feeling. He breathed deeply, his breath escaping between his parted lips in huge breaths that strained his lungs painfully. He knew he probably looked like a badly kept rag doll but he refused to give up, no matter what the costs of his actions were. His fingers slowly balled into tight fists, his head spinning though he tried in vain to block out the distractions. His feet spread slightly apart from him in an attempt to balance himself out. Gohan stood, his feet firmly planted into the ground as ready as possible, though he barely looked it.  
  
A look of sheer anger crossed Tinokoto's face as he watched the saiya-jin boy move into a defensive stance. 'How dare he even think he has a chance against me?' thought Tinokoto to himself before a cruel smile worked its way across his face. Of course, he realized, the boy probably lost his mind after the whooping he had received from his other androids. It was obvious to Tinokoto now.  
  
Smirking Tinokoto slowly took several steps toward the saiya-jin, his large stride quickly covering the distance as he stood nearly inches from the boy. He watched, his glaze looking down, as the boy stood rooted in his position, unwilling to give even the smallest bit of space. A laugh rumbled from the pits of Tinokoto's chest as he reached out a hand, attempting to grab the boy and take him to their space ship now and for good. An irritated look quickly crossed his face as the boy moved away, one of his hands moving out from his body, his palm opening wide as he gathered a small amount of energy for a ki blast. Tinokoto smiled at Gohan, knowing he had too little strength left in him to gather enough ki for even slightly powerful blast. Either way he looked at it, his attempt was futile from Tinokoto's point of view.  
  
Gohan's teeth tightly gritted together, his eyes narrowing as he built up energy into his right hand, his left hand cradled to his side. He needed something, anything to distract the huge android long enough for him to get a good chance to attack him. "So impossible..." he muttered under his breath, the weight of the battles he had fought hurting his mind and discouraging him. His left hand balled into a tight fist, his anger at himself growing for not trying hard enough. Everyone's life was at stake, he had to keep going. "I've had enough!" he screamed with strained lungs, his own voice hurting him as the words came out hoarse. The ki blast at his side built, the color blue hued as it gained power, sucking it from Gohan in the process.   
  
"Take this!" said Gohan, his teal eyes shining for a moment as the ki blast grew steadily at the last minute. His raven strands streamed golden, standing up on their ends as his dark eyes flashed teal; using the last of his strength to push himself in super saiya-jin level. Moving his hand in front of his head, the back of his palm on his forehead, Gohan closed his eyes. The ki blast grew, draining Gohan and making his legs feel weak under his own weight. His teal eyes suddenly shot open, their normal gentle tone lost behind anger and his own despair. "Masenko-ha!" yelled out Gohan, his one hand hurling the concentrated ki blast at the large form of Tinokoto.  
  
Barely surpressing a laugh, Tinokoto swiftly brought a hand in front of him, his palm outstretched and flat as he built up a ki blast and threw it at Gohan's blast. He smirked as his blast ripped through the Masenko and then continued on a course straight for the battered saiya-jin hybrid. Dust rose from the ground, disturbed as the blast hit a target, whether the saiya-jin or something else Tinokoto did not know. His blue androidic blinked, peering through the dust to settle on where he had last seen the saiya-jin. A grin slowly spread across his lips as the dust settled, falling to the ground to reveal the body of Son Gohan. He lay face forward on the ground, one hand outstretched in front of his body, his other hand unseen as his body covered it. His black hair fell in front of his face, the raven strands hiding the expression and eyes of the fallen saiya-jin boy. "Just as I said...weak." Said Tinokoto mockingly. He turned his back to battered body, his arms crossing over his chest as he made his way toward the rest of his troops.   
  
"I want the boy brought into the ship. And be careful with him, he's been battered around enough." Barked Tinokoto, not wanting his master to be displeased with the unruly saiya-jin's physical state.  
  
"Not so fast, don't think I'll let you take Gohan without a fight." Called out a stern voice from behind Tinokoto. The android's look faltered as he turned around to look behind him where the saiya-jin boy lay. His blue androidic eyes widened as he saw a tall figure standing between him and the boy. The figure's white cape gently lapped behind him, soon settling down at his ankles as a slight breeze disturbed the ends. The green namek grinned at Tinokoto, one thickly muscled hand reaching up to the white turban on his head and quickly ripping away the fabric to reveal two antennae sprouting from his forehead. He then removed his cape, slipping the large shoulder pads over his head and discarding them to the side with a thud. He moved into a defensive stance, his hands in a flat line in front of him. His black eyes glared at the android.  
  
"What makes you think that you are any match for us, namek?" he spat the word, his distaste for being interrupting him during his acquiring process on a high. He had heard about the namek named Piccolo from Dr. Kinson during his briefing. Tinokoto remembered clearly that he would face as no threat whatsoever to them, their powers far succeeding that of the last recorded data to reach Mankin. He chuckled bitterly as his arms folded across his chest. He turned his back to the namek and the helpless saiya-jin boy as he began to walk back toward the others under his command. He flicked a hand at them signaling them to come and take Gohan so that they could leave as soon as possible.  
  
A deep growl rumbled from the pit of Piccolo's throat upon being ignored by the huge android that Gohan had spoken of. He sighed softly, knowing he should have believed him when he had first told them about the androids instead of thinking it to be some far off tale that the boy had conceived. He knew he had been wrong the second he had felt the young saiya-jin's power level raise above that of his normal medium, the rate steadily increasing until it came to an abrupt halt and decreased rapidly. Piccolo had known something was wrong when he had felt the sudden drop in the boy's power that could only be accomplished by a swift beating. The namek's teeth clenched together tightly as he strayed a glance behind his shoulder at the barely conscious body of Gohan. The boy was mumbling something inaudible, even Piccolo could not catch his scattered words with his sensitive hearing.  
  
"Gohan...just relax, I'll take care of them." Said Piccolo as he tried to reassure the saiya-jin boy. At this point he was not sure if the boy could even think clearly after the obvious beating he had received from the bio-androids. He let out a rumbling breath as he watched the group of androids walk toward him, his senses on alert.  
  
The squad of bio-android rushed to follow their commander's orders, quickly forming a giant "U" around the Namek, the whole left behind him where Gohan lay barely conscious. With their bodies in position and their mind set on destroying Piccolo three of the androids swiftly ran toward the Namek at the same time, throwing wild punches at him left and right.  
  
Piccolo barely had any time to react. They were so fast, his mind was reeling, barely be able to tell his body where to block and where to attack. He stayed with them as best as possible, silently hoping that he would not be caught under a bundle of android bodies as more joined in the fight. His arms moved up to block, barely having a chance to deliver returning punches as he hurriedly moved to block another attack. His teeth clenched together, a snarl building on his lips as he was driven back and away from where Gohan lay. He knew they were trying to get him away from the boy so that they could take him away and Piccolo would not allow it to happen, at least while he was still standing. Pushing with all his might, Piccolo's ki flared, a invisible field of power revealing around his body as he swiftly moved to punch one of the bio androids hard in the back of his neck, causing the large thing to drive forward head first into the ground. He ignored the sound of the earth breaking under the blow as he moved to attack the closest android, his leg reaching out to deliver a hard and well deserved kick to the side of the android.   
  
He winced visibly as he felt his assault come to a stop. One of the android's tails lashing out at him, digging deeply into his green flesh as he was knocked forward and into the ground. He groaned softly, scratches from his landing lined in several spots over his flesh as he forced himself into a standing position, his back throbbing painfully. He hadn't expected such a strong fight out of the being, they were so powerful. Piccolo scolded himself mentally at his thoughts, he would not allow himself to think he was weak. He was strong enough to beat them, otherwise he would have died after such a strong attack.  
  
Pushing himself up into a standing position, Piccolo growled at the androids as the group divided into two parts. One part heading for him while the other slowly retreated back to Gohan's barely conscious form. "Gohan..." Piccolo breathed as he raised his ki and began to fly toward Gohan. His emotions of not letting the androids take the young saiya-jin overtook him as he blindly headed toward the group, not even noticing as one of the androids grabbed his leg. He was yanked back suddenly and hard, his mouth opening in shock as he was hurled back in the direction that he was coming from. But his body did not stop as he flew past the point in which he had been previously thrown into, his figure continuing until it suddenly collided with a tree from the near by forest. He groaned in pain as his body slumped down to the ground, battered and bruised. His dark eyes blinked as he looked toward where Gohan was, the androids turning away from where he had been and gathering around the young saiya-jin boy. "Gohan...no." he mumbled as his eyes began to roll to the back of his head, his mind slipping out of consciousness as the world around him turned black.  
  
  
  
  
He felt weak. Miserable. Pathetic. Gohan groaned in pain, his head lying flat against the cold ground as he softly rustled the dirt around his face with his shallow breathing. His raven strands fell over his face, covering the small scarlet lines of blood that flooded gracefully along his thinly curved cheeks. His usually lively and bright dark eyes were dull and distracted, a painful expression clearly written on them as a blurred vision overtook him. He had barely registered the last few moment of his fight with Tinokoto, remembering only his last effort and his failure. Then he had felt weak beyond belief and to the point where it hurt to stand. It "had" hurt to stand. He didn't even last a minute before he was on the ground, his power drained and his golden strands falling back to their dark depth as he fell out of his super saiya-jin transformation. He was pathetic. To be taken so lightly and to fail so horribly. He was ruining his father's honor and pride. Why was he born so flail of mind? He wondered to himself silently, his dazed mind covering his judgement and his own thoughts as he sniffled lightly.   
  
He was so weak.  
  
His thoughts were brought back to the present when Piccolo had shown up, saving him from an awful fate as he had done so many times before. Gohan could scarcely remember a time when his faithful Namek friend had not rescued him. "Piccolo...please...don't..." he remembered mumbling, the words barely making it to his own ears. He didn't want his friend to be hurt like he had, but he should have known better. Piccolo wasn't going to back down, he was going to go after the android and whether he would live through it or not, no one could tell. Gohan gulped deeply, his throat burning painfully as he forced his dark eyes to look upward from his face down position. His head slowly moved, resting his chin against the ground as he stared up at the Namek when he moved to fight the androids, moving away from his helpless body so as not to attract the bio-androids any closer. After that everything had been a blur. The fight, who was winning and who was losing. Gohan could barely keep himself conscious, yet alone keep track of what was happening between Piccolo and the bio-androids.  
  
A deep breath rumbled out of his chest painfully, his lips parting as he strained to breathe. He coughed loudly, his throat torrid and the back of his throat feeling as if it were clogged with his own blood. He felt like he was losing his mind, his consciousness slowly fading away from him as he desperately tried to grasp hold of it and keep it close to himself. It was all he had at this point and he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on to it. "Please, father, make it all go away." Muttered Gohan under his breath, his eyes closing part way as he pleaded to the last person he thought that could come to his rescue, his mind too dazed to realize that his father was still dead and that he was still alone. He had to fight his own battles now and he had to fight them by himself. It was all he had left at this point.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Like I said before since I made everyone who actually reads this story wait so long for an update I'll be posting the next chapter sometime next week, promise! I'm going to make more time to write and resort back to pencil and paper then typing it back up onto the computer later if I have too! Anyway, for all you angst fans out there, be prepared for some major angst in the next two chapters Gohan-wise. My poor Gohan, what tortures shall I make you endure next? *watches Gohan cringe from her thoughts...grins evilly *  



	9. GJ - Part 9

As promised here's chapter 9. I was orignally planning on posting this on Friday, but to my great surprise my parents decided no computer for the week before Finals. Oh lucky me..Anyway, my finals start tomorrow so I'm lucky that I could manage enough time on to get this up.  
  
  
Gohan's Journey  
Chapter IX  
  
  
  
He lay in a heap. Blood, his own blood, ran along the folds of his once bright orange gi, the color lost as scarlet lines engulfed it. Raven strands fell limply against a bloody and dirt clung brow, the wet, sticky substance matted with each hair that made the thick strands. Blood, more blood, ran from the boy's mouth, gently caressing against a swollen cheek to a thinly curved chin where it collected and fell to the ground in a small puddle. The weary boy, barely conscious, his vision lined with darkness, tried desperately to remain calm. He wanted to cry, to wail, to let out a scream of frustration. He wanted anything that would let him express what he was feeling. He felt helpless, only knowing he was alive through the aches that wound throughout his body. He tried to fold his legs to his chest, to longingly wrap his arms around his knees and hug them close to his chest. He had always felt safe like that, like nothing could possibly hurt him while he was in that state of peace. But even now, now that he lay in a pool of his own scarlet blood could he not even seek protection and comfort with his own self.  
  
His once bright, shining ebony eyes were dull, lifeless, unhealthy, and full of pain; a pain that a boy of his age should never have to feel. His right eyelid lay barely open, pitched closed and swollen to the point where he could not even forcefully pry it open. It wasn't that he wanted to look. In fact he would have preferred to keep his eyes closed and oblivious to everything around him. It was the fact that he couldn't that bothered him. He didn't like not being able to do something, though now he was beginning to see his predicament in a new light.  
  
His tongue ran over the back of his teeth, wincing slightly at the sickening taste that he felt in his mouth as his tongue collided with dried blood. How much blood did he lose? Enough, that much was for sure without question. He coughed, hacking up blood as he felt a bump in his throat, almost as if it were suffocating him by his own will. He couldn't help it, he felt sick, tired, and needy. He wanted to be comforted by his mother, to have his father tell him everything would be all right, to have his brother once again cheer him on from the sidelines. He wanted them all, though he knew he would recessive nothing but the desire to make them truth instead of a fantasy, a dream that he wished he were living.  
  
Gohan's right hand trembled in front of him. He didn't know why it was, but something, something far off in the reaches of his barely conscious mind was giving him a warning. An alert if it could be called so. It was like his instincts were telling him, calling to him and begging him to listen to reason before it was too late. Son Gohan didn't have a chance with reason, he barely had a chance with consciousness. He was hanging on by a thin thread, his vision blurry as he walked along the thin line between life and death. Why did he always walk that line? He didn't know why, but it was almost as if his mind could not quite decide which way it wanted to go. Live or die; stand and fight. It was a complex and complicated scenario that use to have the boy up all night contemplating his own self under the cool glaze of a starry night. He remembered sneaking out of home in order to spend time by himself, to think over his life and the decisions he had made throughout it. He hadn't lived an easy life, no, far from it. His life had been full of hardships and death, something he was thankful that Goten would not have to go through- at least during the most youngest and precious years of his life.   
  
His mind wandered, dazed, and barely aware of his surroundings as he began, once again, contemplating his life. Almost as if he could picture himself outside one late night, the grass gently blowing to the smooth howl of a light breeze. The sky would be littered with clouds, scattered about randomly, though none would penetrate the moon's shining glory. Its invisible rays would shine down like the sun on a warm summer's afternoon, challenging the creatures of the night to come forth from their daytime resting places. It was an odd scene for most, though Gohan treasured it above all else.  
  
He could almost taste the air around him, the thick scent of pine trees as he lay with his back against the wide base of a tree. Strong, green leaf clad, branches springing out from all ends as it provided daylight protection and a hiding place for life. The grass would be lined with the cool, sticky dew of the night, the temperature cold, though comfortable enough for relaxing. And there, in admist of it all, would be Gohan. He would be sprawled out on the grass, his eyes partway closed as his hands cradled the back of his head. His dark eyes would be shining in the moon's reflection as he secretly talked aloud to himself. He would always talk about recent events and what he had thought about them, almost as if it would bring sense to the world of chaos around him. Though, in the far reaches of his mind, he truly felt as if he were instead informing his father of the going-ons. The peaceful moments when he would be comforted by an unknown presence, returning his gratefulness in the only way he knew how. Talking. Expressing the way he was feeling and sharing in on the good times with his confident and happy father. Even though a word had not been uttered between them since the end of the Cell Games, Gohan felt as if he had been with his father throughout the three years from which he had died.  
  
Of course, he would never share these findings with anyone else, holding close the moments to precious for even himself. It would always be a thing for him, that point of calm that he so rarely felt.  
  
His mind was snapped back to reality when he heard the soft thumping sounds of several feet. The ground shook, slightly, though the young saiya-jin that lay across the hard surface felt and heard it clearly. His eyelids closed tightly, wanting to fell back into his thoughts and dreams, not wanting to deal with what would await him should he even dare to look. His ears twitched slightly, the sound dying as the combining sounds of several people walking came to him and passed without hesitating. He wanted to sigh, to let out a long breath of relief when the footsteps neared their wane and he could no longer hear them. He knew if he even dared that he would probably be brought into a coughing fit for having too much air in his blood coated lungs.  
  
Gohan's hopes rose for being left alone and allowed to fall back into his dreams as a small silence built throughout the area. He could hear faint talking, though they were muffled to his clogged ears. His senses reeled when his ears caught the faint shifting of dirt from near by, his body tensing as he forced himself not to squirm away from the sound. He did not dare open his eyes, nor move. He didn't want to know what was around him; he just wanted to be left alone. His nose wrinkled when he heard the soft sounds again, though closer as small bits of dust swirled around his face and flew into his slightly ajar mouth. He heard talking; light, whispery, though audible.  
  
"I was pretty surprised myself, amazing." Said one voice quietly, the words barely reaching above a whisper.  
  
"The commander had him the whole time, its just interesting that some boy could take so much. Its not every day that something like that happens."  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"So watcha think Dr. Kinson could want with this boy?"  
  
"Dunno, beats me. You know, people say he has one odd mind, but this is   
a little much."  
  
"No kidding, but I thought we were after the brat's father? Gokuho...or something like that. Things just keep getting weirder these days."  
  
"Yeah, it's odd, but that's what happens when you have a despotic leader like that. He's crazy I tell ya, obsessed over that stupid thing...what was it again? I can't even remember."  
  
"Its doesn't matter anyway, lets just get outta here. Kirsu can deal with the boy. Let's go get him."  
  
The two's words passed through Gohan's ears, in one and out the other, as he barely registered them. He knew he should have been listening, that they were most likely talking about something at least slightly important if they were whispering. Too induced by pain, he could not even force his ears to listen. His one eye opened partway, his ebony pupil dull and lifeless, hazed, as his vision remained blurred. He heard a soft tapping, the gently rapping of foot against the ground. Dust swirled around his face, his eye falling closed as he bit down hard against his already clenched teeth. He could feel the horrid taste of dried blood as it filled throughout his mouth, drying on his tongue and the roof of his mouth as he cringed against the taste. His throat burned like seering needles gently poked against the insides of his tender muscles. He desperately wished he had a nice, smooth and cool glass of water to indulge himself in. To pry away the awful taste from his mouth and relieve at least some of his suffering.  
  
His ear twitched slightly as a small echoed filled within its depths.  
  
He heard the rapping again; soft, light, a feathery touch. Gentle, calm, no tension there. It was close, almost too close for Gohan to be comforted by even the last of his sanity. The sound began behind him, slowly encompassing around his body as the tapping continued in a full circle. The sound screamed into Gohan's ears, hearing it as if it were ten times stronger and louder than it was meant to be. It was a soft tap, but it felt like a horn was being blown into his ears.   
  
It stopped for a moment, the seemingly intermittent tapping ceasing.  
  
Gohan would have let out a sigh of relief when the gentle rapping creased, but he knew better than to get hopeful.  
  
His hope shattered when the tapping began again. The tapping moving to his legs, stopping. To his back, stopping. To his head, stopping. Stopping. Quiet; silence engulfing the eerie air that surrounded everything. The swoosh of air was heard, a slight breeze following closely by it as the wind ruffled the saiya-jin's boy raven strands, causing them to sway above his head.   
  
A tail perhaps? Long, thick, probably sharp and painful.  
  
The dust settled around Gohan's head, floating back to the ground in small specks that lined the surface of the earth.   
  
He felt eyes staring on him, glazing down at him with an impending glaze that burned through his tightly closed eyes. He didn't want to look up, he didn't want to know what was watching him. Even if something was watching him. He didn't like the feeling he was getting and that was enough to keep him from tempting his luck. Not that he had much of that anymore.   
  
Tap, tap, tap, stop...tap, tap, tap.  
  
The sound echoed through Gohan's ears as it continued, finally creasing in front of him. His swollen eyes closed tightly, his features tightening as he felt a stinging sensation fill throughout his body. It was like be stabbed several times with small pointy needles that gently broke the flesh before retreating to a new area to conquer and destroy with the piercing sensation. He didn't understand why it hurt so much just to close his eyes. It was a simple thing. He did it every night when he went to bed and it never bothered him then. But thenagain, his face was swollen and he was laying in a bloody heap on the ground, a small scarlet puddle building around him as the warm red liquid spread across the surface and into the earth's cracks. It was warm and sticky, causing his flesh to shiver as he cascaded down his bare skin, rounding the tight corners of his body until they collected in one joined area before falling to the ground with the gentlest of sounds. Like a droplet falling from the pedal of a flower.  
  
His stomach churned, tightening as a sickening feeling over took his insides. He wanted to throw up. He had been drinking his own blood for kami knows how long, the small scarlet droplets running down the back of his throat and rubbing against his already sensitive tissue. He could fill it building in the back of his throat, threateningly building and prepared to drip out of the corner of his mouth with even the slightest motivation. His breath rumbled from his chest, his hands slick with his wet and glossy blood.  
  
He felt a stop tapping against his back, like being probbed by the tip of a large thump. His body shivered from the probbing, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up straight as a chilling feeling overtook him by the light tapping.   
  
He felt like his skin could break through at any moment.  
  
Just a little further and it would break through the skin, peeling through his muscles then to the spine. A small snap and then he would nothing more than a dead body mass taking up space on the ground. Gohan cringed at his own thoughts as the weight was lifted from his back, the gently tapping leaving his body as he dared a chance to open his eyes and see what was disturbing him. His left eye pried open, the right one pitched swollen shut, as dull dark eye looked onward. Everything was a blur, the world around him spinning and drawing him within their pits of hell. He felt like the ground could cave in at any second and shallow him whole, his body sucked into the depths of the earth where it would remain to rot until the day he would be released.   
  
His matted raven strands fell forward, blocking his vision even further as he tried lifting his chin. His eyes barely moved, his head plopping back to the ground with a soft thud. His cheeks hit the cold surface, his chin unable to keep his face propped up as his eyes slowly closed again. He heard russeling, soft and gentle. The light tapping around his body starting again though he barely registered the sound, his body falling in and out of consciousness. He felt his mind slipping away, just out of his reach as he began to sink into the depths of his subconscious mind, his thoughts lost behind a trail of memories.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Kirsu's tail slowly flickered behind him, his weight leaning on his right foot as he stared down at the saiya-jin boy that Tinokoto had recently defeated. The boy was mangled, barely conscious or alive for that matter, though he still radiated with life, even if the signal was dim. His foot gently tapped against the ground as he walked around the boy, looking him over slowly to try and find the source of interest about him. He seemed normal enough, his transformation powerful though not enough to cause concern. What they could possible want with him was beyond Kirsu, or any other of the bio-android's knowledge by far.   
  
Letting a frustrated sigh ring between his parted lips, Kirsu gently tapped the tip of his tail against the boy's back to see if he would even respond. An almost giddy laugh erupted from Kirsu's throat as he watched the boy groan softly, his blood matted strands russeling gently as his head moved. His movements came to an almost immediate halt, his head falling back as he went motionless and silent. A frown caressed Kirsu's features as he looked at the seemingly unconscious saiya-jin after having wanted to at least make him walk to his new home. Ah, the Nova Star, one of the best ships that Mankin could offer; truly priceless in the means of human beings.  
  
A grin tugged at Kiru's lips as he moved to the saiya-jin boy, bending down half-way as he reached out a long fingered hand to grasp the back of the boy's orange gi. Another soft groan of pain was heard as Kirsu lifted the limp boy up easily, holding him by the back of his gi as he carried the smaller figure into the Star Nova.  
  
To be continued...  
  



	10. GJ - Part 10

Well it looks like I had another delay when making this chapter. To tell the truth I was a little discouraged to writing when I saw how little reviews I got for the last chapter compared to the amount I normally get per chapter. It kinda got me into a bit of writer's block so I finally just cut this chapter and decided to end it here even though I was planning on it being longer. Anyhow, sorry this chapter is pretty short. By the way, I noticed someone had a question about the bio-android's powers compared to Gohan at SSJ2, and I promise all that will be revealed as well as a huge plot twister in the future. Just be ready for a shocker.  
  
  
Gohan's Journey  
Chapter X  
  
  
Son Gohan's clothes were soiled with dry, crusted blood. His body was twisted and jumbled, pain coursing throughout his limbs, though it seemed to be at the point where he couldn't even tell where it began and where it ended. His brain seemed to be nothing more than a thing to take up space, his head clouded, almost misty, to the point where nothing would comprehend or make sense. He did know one thing, though small in size and matter, it was something. He was moving, though not on his own. His arms hung loosely above his head, his stomach pitching and twisting as it rested across a tall being's shoulder, the spiked edges of armor digging into his stomach. He could tell the person was tall, the long stride that was carrying his weak body devouring ground at a quick pace. He heard the loud thump of heavy feet against hard steel ground, the noise ringing through Gohan's blood lined ears. He must have popped them at one time, a hit too hard perhaps causing his eardrums to erupt and become clogged. He didn't know and he really didn't care at this point. He just wanted to go home.   
  
His body was tingling, the hairs along his limbs and the back of his neck sticking up as a chilling sensation ran down his spine. His body jerked for a moment, the sensation causing a chain reaction to go throughout his body. His arms twitched before they settled to sway above his head, every once in a while brushing up against the thick back of a person...or thing. His ink-black strands fell limply in front of him, blocking all traces of his face, his head lost under the thick raven strands. His head felt dizzy, the circulation gone hay-wired by being upside down for so long. He felt like all his blood was rushing straight to his head and drowning it.  
  
The back of his legs, his calves partically, were aching. Someone had their hands latched along the back of them, keeping the young saiya-jin from falling by keeping him in place over their shoulder. It felt like his legs were going to burn off. The pressure, though light and simple, was excruciating to the young saiya-jin's already weak body. The shaky stride caused his raven strands to bob about his head, his fingers dangling lullingly in front of him. His toes were flat, straightened and num. He couldn't feel half of his body and what he could feel was clouded with pain.   
  
But what felt worst of all was his side. He had taken a hard hit on his side, having lost the most blood from the large gapping hole that oozed with the slick scarlet substance. Being swung over the person's shoulder, his side jabbed into the person's bony elbow did not help the saiya-jin ease his pain.  
  
His breath heaved in and out through his mouth in small wisps, his nose running blood and too clogged to breath from without breathing in his own blood. His eyelids were lightly closed, his not swollen eye every once in a while trying to get the courage to open and glaze around before the pain over took him and he became submissive again. He felt horrible; sick, tired, weak and throbbing with pain. He just wished he could be left alone to sleep, maybe even relax and let the pain settle for a while. Anything seemed like a better choice at this point to the young saiya-jin's mind.  
  
The cling of metal caught the young saiya-jin's attention as the body he was swung over shifted, causing his arms to sway back and forth roughly. His raven stranded head tilted slightly as the boy tried with all his might to see where he was, though the situation was in vain as he fell limp once again against the bulky body.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Kiru never saw himself as a partically bad warrior. Far from the best, yes, the worse out there? No. This thought always seemed to bewilder the bio-android, if anything possibly could. He was always the one reduced to do the low class work and now was just one of those cases: carrying around pathetic saiya-jin trash. An irritated sigh rang from Kirsu's parted lips, his tail flipping annoyedily behind him as he headed toward the infirmary. Tinokoto had ordered the boy's wounds to be tended too well enough so the kid wouldn't die during their trip back to Mankin. Sure, that was really like Tinokoto, thought Kirsu. He knew the android absolutely hated doing anything that could benefit anyone beside himself or his race and this case didn't seem to be an exception. A laugh rumbled from the android's broad chest at the mere thought. Sure, Tinokoto would do as he was told but that didn't mean he would do it well. Kirsu's laughter began to die away as he made his way across the ship, his large feet sounding loudly against the hard steel ground.  
  
The Nova Star was probably one of, if not, the finest ships on Mankin. The place   
was a powerhouse, absolutely amazing in more ways than one. It was the home to one of the most advanced navigation systems, equipped with the latest warfare technology, and was pretty damn comfortable to live in if you ever visited the dorm area. But thenagain it could be a hell house if you were in the wrong area. The ship was huge, far surpassing that of an average ship's size and structure, the layout an elaborate design that separated the good areas from the bad. Making it obvious from where you wanted to be and where you didn't want to be. And all the while making the ship look compact and small on the outside, though it was far from it.  
  
Kirsu's musings came to a halt when he reached the outside of the infirmary, the health symbol of Mankin inscribed along the outside of the clear doors in an elaborate design of swirls made to look like a devouring sphere, pointed edges moving to subjugate all that surrounded it. Letting a deep breath ring from his lips, Kirsu waited for the doors to open with a loud swoosh, his body moving to shift the load draped over his shoulder to a more comfortable position.  
  
"Hey Kirsu, got the merchandise?" called out a sarcastic voice from behind a computer.  
  
"Shut up Heran. I'm just here to drop him off and than pick him up when you're done." Muttered Kirsu under his breath, a scowl appearing on his face as Heran sat up from his seat in front of the computer. The short android chuckled softly, his hands moving to interlock behind his back as his chin pointed to the table in the middle of the room. "Just stick him there for now. I'll call you when I'm done." Said Heran slowly, his slender tail tapping on the steel ground impatiently. He watched with narrowed blue eyes as Kirsu practically threw the boy onto the hard table, a loud groan admitting from the boy at the jolting movement. "Thick headed...Just go Kirsu." Hissed Heran under his breath at Kirsu as the other android merely shrugged and left the room, his loud footsteps heard even after his departure.  
  
Moving his hands in front of him, Heran walked over to the saiya-jin boy, looking him over as he gingerly rolled the boy over onto his back. His androidic blue eyes shined as he caught sight of the boy's wounds, the large gapping whole in his side sticking out the most pointedly of all. "Looks like Tinokoto had more fun than I saw." Mused the android softly, chuckling as he grabbed one of the boy's hands and strapped it down to the table with metal guards. His body moved to all sides of the boy, strapping him down on his wrists and then his ankles tightly, making sure the boy was secure before he began to look his wounds over. He wasn't planning on dealing with a frigeting saiya-jin while he was trying to work.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It had taken Heran a good deal of time to just look over the boy's wounds, poking and probing them with small sharp instruments that caused the half conscious boy to tumble and twitch. Heran merely shrugged at these movements, waiting for the spill to pass and then continue until the next one would interrupt him. He didn't bother using painkillers, not that they carried any on the ship for that matter. The boy was strong enough to live through one of their kind's attack, he could diffantely make it through a little check up.  
  
A small smile worked its way on to Heran's lips as he looked over the boy's largest wound. He glanced over his shoulder for a moment, grabbing a long jagged edge knife from atop a tray and bringing it next to the boy's skin. He sighed as the young saiya-jin fregeted, his hands clenching into fists from the straps that clung tightly around his wrists and drug into his bare flesh. "That's really getting irritating, will you just quit." Hissed Heran softly before moving the sharp instrument into the boy's wound. The sharp knife hacked away at Gohan's insides, the hand wheedling the instrument of torture careful not to break any vital organs or crack any bones too badly. Scarlet blood poured freely from the wound now, cascading down the young saiya-jin's side and building into a small puddle that quickly formed on the steel table. Heran didn't bother to clean up the mess he was making as he cut away at burned flesh surrounding the wound and inside of it, letting the boy soak in his own blood upon the table.  
  
The knife cut away at dead flesh, hacking at other places and seering some with it's jagged edges. Heran reached a hand into the boy's wound, the very tip of his fingers grabbing at a large hunk of flesh and cleanly ripping it out as the tear of the skin sounded in the otherwise quiet room. Gohan's scream of pain erupted from the depths of the room, his ebony eyes flying open as his mouth opened ajar. Blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, new, fresh blood caused from the hacking away at his insides and the disturbance of his otherwise normal body system. He coughed, loudly and painfully, as move blood sputtered from his chapped lips, falling to his chin and covering his clothes. His fingers curled into tight fists at his pinned down sides, pulling and yanking hard at his confines as he struggled to free himself. His strife, however, soon ended when his skin began to tear and his flesh around his wrist burn from the vain trying. Whether it was the metal that was strong or he that was weak, Gohan did not know. All he knew was that he was in pain and he didn't like where he was.   
  
A soft whimper escaped from the saiya-jin's throat, unwilling to cry, though the thought of it happening was close to his mind. He didn't want to appear weak, but at this point it looked impossible for it to seem anything but that. Ebony eyes staring up to the ceiling, Gohan blinked. He barely registered when a figure moved it's head in front of his eyes, blocking the view of the white ceiling above him. His eyes did not flinch when a bright light was flashed into them, too dazed by his pain to register anything but oblivion.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Tinokoto's feet clunked loudly against the ground as he made his way through the Star Nova, absently listening to the latest reports on the ship's repairs. A sigh rumbled from the android's chest as he flicked the android speaking to him away, causing the red tinted android to fall into a near by wall from the force of it. "Furu, is the saiya-jin awake yet?" asked Tinokoto to the android walking slightly behind him, taking the time to think before he acted.  
  
"Yes, sir. He woke while Heran was cleaning up one of his wounds. He's still in the infirmary." Said the strout android dubbed Furu, his voice low and whispery, only speaking loud enough to be heard but no more.  
  
Tinokoto nodded his head once, his tail swaying behind him as he turned down another hall and headed toward the infirmary. "Have the ship begin its journey to Mankin, I want to get back as soon as possible. Master will love to see his prize." Said Tinokoto slowly, ordering away the rest of his command as he went by himself.  
  
His feet hit heavily against the ground, informing Heran of his presence early as Tinokoto made his way into the infirmary. A grin moved to plaster itself to Tinokoto's face upon seeing the sight of the helpless saiya-jin strapped to the table, his mouth covered in a silky white cloth. "Making noise, I assume." Commented Tinokoto quietly as he stalked over to Heran, his arms folding over his broad chest as he spoke.  
  
"No, more like screaming and then whimpering his damn head off. I can't stand that shitty noise, just shows how much of a whimp he is." Muttered Heran under his breath, having had enough of the boy's complaining quickly. He had long ago, after his first awaking, tied a cloth around the boy's head and into his mouth, stopping the boy from bleeding all over himself and shutting him up at the same time. A sigh rang from Heran's parted lips as he leaned back into his chair, dejectedly placing his instruments aside as he wiped his blood clad hands against the white lab coat he was wearing. Scarlet blood smeared into the soft silky white fabric, Heran merely ignoring it as he rested his hands in his lap, waiting to see what Tinokoto wanted.  
  
"So it seems he'll be fine." Commented Tinokoto slowly, his voice letting out long words as he ran his hand over the boy's side and largest wound. He chuckled softly, flicking off a bit of flesh with his fingernail as the boy squirmed until his confines.  
  
"Yes, yes...perfectly fine. Just banged up and tired."  
  
"Shame really..."  
  
"Master doesn't want his little play toy ruined. You know how anal he is at times about these sort of things. His mind is always centered on that one damn..."   
  
"Shut the hell up, you're not suppose to talk about it." Barked Tinokoto as Heran rattled on. His voice edgy and not at all at ease. He hated it when anyone brought up his master's orders around him, it was practically a rule on the ship not too. But thenagain, androids weren't exactically known for following rules. Folding his arms across his broad chest, Tinokoto snorted softly at the look he received from Heran, the android wearing a gleeful grin. "I said stop it..." hissed Tinokoto through clenched teeth, smiling contently when Heran stopped and gave him a more serious look.   
  
"Why don't you call Kirsu back. I just have to bandage this last one and I'll be done." Said Heran absently, trying to change the subject as he turned his attention back to the saiya-jin boy. He was twitching again, this time in his leg as his body jolted around a little bit before settling. "Damn Tinokoto, I think you caused the baka brain nerve damage or something. He keeps on frigeting." Snapped Heran, awefully upset that his work had to be delayed due to the boy's unconscious movements.  
  
Tinokoto merely smirked to Heran's words, a small laugh rumbling from his chest. "I can always rip out his spine, that would stop the twitching." He said gleefully, liking the thought of doing such a thing to the troublesome saiya-jin. He hadn't like the boy from the start and his disposition toward him had yet to change. He was gladly open to the idea of inflicting any pain whatsoever on the boy, whether it small or large it seemed fitting to Tinokoto's mind.  
  
A small chuckle admitted from Tinokoto's throat, his thick tail thumping heavily against the ground as it caused the floor to shake lightly. "I'll send Kirsu by, you know exactically which room I want the boy put in...you better not mix it up." warned Tinokoto with a flick of his wrist, still chuckling as he made his way out of the infirmary and down the hallway.  
  
"Damn anal..." muttered Heran before going back to work with Gohan's last wound, happy at the idea that he would get rid of the obsessive whining.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Kirsu sighed deeply as he returned to the infirmary after having been called back. His footsteps were clearly heard as the swoosh of the infirmary's doors alerted his presence within the room. "Okay, where's the kid?" he asked irriatedily, just wanting to finish with his job and be done with it. He blinked as he saw Heran typing busily at a computer desk, his chin moving to motion to the boy strapped down on the table. Kirsu could only grin as he walked over to the table and began to slowly unstrap the boy. "What you do to the brat? Drug him up?" asked Kirsu when he noticed the dazed look in the boy's wide opened eyes. He received only a nod as an answer, his grin widening.   
  
Pulling at the last strap Kirsu moved the boy's hands in front of him, reaching out a free hand behind his back where he produced a pair of thick metal cuffs made from the strongest materials on Mankin. He smirked as he snapped them shut on the boy's wrist, the heavy cuffs weighting down the boy's hands against his stomach as the thick metal covered a good 2 1/2 inches of the boy's wrist. Picking up the boy and slinging him over his shoulder, Kirsu waved off Heran with the nod of his head before leaving the infirmary, the boy in tow.  
  
He headed immediately to the lower section of the ship where Tinokoto he made special arrangements for the boy's stay. He was planning on making the boy's stay on the ship a living hell before he had to turn him over to Dr. Kinson. This would probably be the last time he would ever be able to cause the boy anguish and he was planning to use every moment of it.  
  
To be continued...  



	11. GJ - Part 11

Well, this chapter is pretty short

Well, this chapter is pretty short. I was planning on making it longer, but decided just to cut it here and get this chapter out of the way. The next two, possibly three, chapters are going to be quite long and winded so there's no certain time when I will be able to get them out.

Gohan's Journey

Chapter XI

The sun was slowly setting over the horizon as animals moved to claim their resting spots for the night's coming presence. The vast array of plantlife swayed gently with a soft breeze that russled through the area in the evening sky. The blue backdrop was lost under a veil of red and orange, the day's closing coming nearer to its wane. Cool air filled where the sun had once warmed its presence, leaving behind a chilling scene as the sun slowly sank behind the mountains and into the furthermost reaches of the serene terrain. This scene, however, was spoiled. Littered and thrown aside as dust picked up in the distance, shifting and turning with the clank of metal. A ship, though seemingly not large in size but power, gingerly lifted from the ground. Dust stirred, wavering in the air and through the plains as the large hunk of metal began to ascend toward the air, picking up speed as it headed straight for the stars just beginning to line the sky. And as quick as it had taken off it was gone, lost in a speed of light as it headed off into the space's vast expanse, its destination unknown to the pair of eyes that watched it closely.

"He was telling the truth," said the voice solemnly, his head downcast and thoughtful. His fingers clenched into tight fists through his white gloves, his hands trembling at an unwavering thought. Perhaps he should have left sooner? Heed the words of the boy? No, he hadn't believed him then, it was no good. A sigh rang from Vegeta's lips as he watched the last glimpses of the ship's retreat, an un-nerved feeling coursing through his body. He stared, from the edge of a rocky cliff when he had felt the boy. He thought it was again one of his tries to get attention, or perhaps he was just training. But Vegeta had known something was wrong when he had felt the _other_ ki levels in the area, high and power, though pushed down and subtle. It was a strange feeling, but it was there nonetheless. 

That was the moment when the saiya-jin had decided that it was best to check things out for himself. It he hadn't been more than fifteen minutes on his way toward where he sensed the powers when he had first noticed the dust russling in the ground and the ki levels draining. It wasn't long before Vegeta found himself standing on the edge of the rock base, his dark eyes outcast into the horizon as he watched the ship take off into the air. He had never seen a ship quite like it before, quite odd indeed, he had mused at the time. He would have turned around and left that very moment when he remembered that the boy had been at the place, the Namek too…though he had only caught a glimpse of the ki before it had faded away.

"Great, looks like I'll be cleaning things up for those two again." Muttered Vegeta under his breath, his arms moving to cross over his chest before hopping lightly into the air and taking off into the direction of where the ship had taken off. His dark eyes trailed over the area around him, noting the battlegrounds where a fight had obviously been fought as he crossed above the spot where Gohan had fought with the androids. He stopped here, descending to the ground as his feet landed gingerly against the hard surface. His hands moved to rest at his sides, a smirk on his lips as his feet shuffled against the ground causing bits of dust to rise. "Nothing, just as I thought." Said Vegeta softly, speaking with a disgusted tone. He wasn't inclined to look for anything in particular, just wanting to see if his suspusions about a fight had been true. They obviously were.

His foot kicked lightly at a rock, sending it flying across the bare land before it cascaded to the ground with a light thump. The place was stripped even more of its plantlife, the once green patches burned over from the concentration of ki blasts. The smell of the area lingered of blood; irony and disgusting. "Well this was a waste of my time." Said Vegeta softly, annoyed that he had come so far from home only to find nothing of his interest. He sighed softly, his breath falling between parted lips as he turned to leave. His ki rose slowly before it quickly died away, a soft sound catching into his sensitive saiya-jin ears. "Who's there?" he called out carefully, his voice sternful and strong, though it betrayed his concern.

"Me you baka." Called out a whispery voice, his words barely audible to a human's ear. 

Vegeta slowly turned around, a scowl written on his face as he saw the crumpled form of Piccolo leaning up against a tree. The Namek looked horrible, his green skin purple in many areas from hard taken blows, a small bit of blood trailing from the cover of his lips as his eyes stared determinedly, despite his situation, at Vegeta. 

Vegeta merely snorted softly, his hands moving to rest on his lower hips as he stalked over to the Namek, his stride short and leisure as he bent down half way and looked at him. "Well you don't look too good. What happened? Get in a little fight with that gaki?" asked Vegeta, his voice mocking and tauntful. He loved being in so much control over a person. The Namek was helpless, he was not, and that made him the one in control.

"Don't call him that. He's a lot smarter and better fighter than you'll ever be." Hissed Piccolo softly, coughing and spitting up blood as he strained to righten himself against the tree.

"Shut up Namek. Now if you don't be nice I might not help you." Said Vegeta, a grin moving to spread across his lips. His arms slowly crossed over his chest, his dark eyes wide and almost gleeful. "So what exactly happened here?" he asked absently, only getting a soft growl from Piccolo. "Oh come on now, just tell me. I'll find out sooner or later." Continued Vegeta, wanting to get his answers first hand and at the moment. He wasn't inclined to waiting for getting what he had wanted.

"Well if you must know Gohan was right. There _are_ androids here. And he was fighting them when I showed up." said Piccolo softly, his voice raspy to the ear and low. Moving his hands to rest on the tree behind he slowly stood, favoring his left leg slightly as he leaned his back against the base of the tree. His dark eyes stared at Vegeta's figure. 

"And…?"

"And they took him. I wasn't able to hold them off and they got to him." Said the Namek slowly, his words simple, not really wanting to believe it was true though he knew it was. His breath fell between his lips in a loud sigh as his eyes lingering past Vegeta and toward the battlegrounds. He wasn't at all happy about what had happened and wanted to figure out why they had taken Gohan and not only that, he wanted to get Gohan back. He didn't even want to think about what Chi-Chi would think when he didn't come home.

"That onna is going to kill someone…" said Vegeta softly, practically reading Piccolo's thoughts as the Namek slowly nodded his head. "Well now what are we suppose to do? We've got some baka androids that kidnapped Kakarot's gaki and now we have to deal with the blasted boy's mother." Said Vegeta, his tone noting clearly that he wasn't happy about their predicament at all. His chest heaved in a deep sigh before his hands slowly left his chest, falling to rest at his sides. Tilting his chin upward slightly, Vegeta let out a deep sigh before holding out a hand to Piccolo, not at all happy about his next words though he knew they were necessary. "I'll take you back to Capsule Corp., but you owe me. I can't have you dying yet, especially when I need the information you have." Hissed Vegeta softly, a small glare working to form on his already narrowed eyes.

Piccolo merely smirked at the saiya-jin's attitude, his head slowly shaking as he took the offer for help and straightened himself out. His limbs felt weak and brittle, like the bones within his body were broken and his muscles torn, though he did not betray the look as he straightened himself out. "That's Vegeta for you, always thinking about himself." Muttered Piccolo softly under his breath before the two headed back to Capsule Corp., Vegeta leading the way as he flew slightly ahead of Piccolo. His arms were folded over his chest, his eyes staring back at the Namek every once in a while to make sure he was still conscious, though he really could care less.

Goku's eyes nearly popped out of his head at the Northern Kaio's words, his dark eyes wide and daunted. "What? You can't be serious…" he said slowly, his head shaking in disbelief. There was no way his son could…he hadn't died, had he? The thought plagued Goku's mind like a deadly virus seeping into his mind and jumbling his thoughts into a hubbub of emotions and commotions. His mouth lay slightly ajar, a befuddled look crossing his face until he slowly shook his head, his raven strands dancing in front of his eyes. His ebony eyes stared in disbelief toward the Northern Kaio, hoping-- trying not to believe his words could be the truth. There was no way…

"I'm serious. I can't feel his lifeforce anymore. This is terrible news." Said King Kai slowly, his hands moving to intertwine behind his back. His thick chin tilted downward, a thoughtful expression cast into his features. His antennae twitched slightly as his pointed ears caught the sound of Goku's chest heaving, the saiya-jin's breathing hard and heavy. "Goku, are you all right?" asked the Northern Kaio slowly, his voice taking on a hint of concern.

Goku's head slowly shook in response, his raven strands swaying above his head. His eyes were wide, mouth slightly ajar. He still couldn't believe it, King Kai's words had to be false. Gohan couldn't have…He had promised him this wouldn't happen…his thoughts trailed away from him, his vision lingering pass the Kaio as it rested on the way behind them. "I have to go talk to him," said Goku slowly as he began walking pass King Kai. His eyes lay focused ahead of him, his eyebrows fixed together in a confused expression as he hopped lightly into the air and began his way back to the biggest settlement that lay in the distance.

"Goku wait! Who are you talking about?" called out the Northern Kaio in vain, a sigh falling between his lips as he threw his hands up in frustration at the saiya-jin. "So careless, irresponsible…wait." King Kai stopped his talking immediately, his eyes going wide through the big, thick glasses that covered them. "Who's _him_?" said the Kaio aloud, voicing his confusion as he stared after the way Goku had left, his head shaking slowly. He had remembered a time quite some time ago when Goku had mentioned a 'him' before, though the name of the actual person never seemed to come up in the conversation, Goku always trying hard to neglect to mention it. "This can't be good," said King Kai aloud, his glaze moving to linger out at the vast array of clouds that spread out before him. "Not at all," he continued slowly, his head shaking at his thoughts and worries.

Vegeta arms moved to fold across his chest as he waited inside the living room within Capsule Corporation, his back leaning against a wall. A small sigh fell between the saiya-jin's parted lips, his dark eyes moving to narrow on Bulma as she walked into the room. "Namek will you hurry up!" barked Vegeta angrily, his voice rising steadily with his annoyance. He wasn't at all happy to wait for Piccolo while he tended to his wounds, having to wait for him heal with the help of a senzu bean. Bulma had made sure they always had a large supple of them at Capsule Corp. since Vegeta always seemed to hurt himself to the point of death when training everyday. The senzu beans were always a lifesaver during those times.

"Just a minute," said Piccolo calmly, downing the bean in one shallow. He let out a deep breath as it quickly worked to restore his strength. He could practically feel as his muscles untensed, loosened and regain their original endurance. No longer was his body covered in cuts and bruises, but instead back to normal as the bean's restoring power quickly healed him. "Alright, let's go." Said Piccolo once he knew he was well enough to leave. His cape and turban snapped onto his body with a flash; his torn up gi mended and no longer cut and ragged. The edges of the silky cape hit lightly against his ankles before settling down and only russling once he turned to look toward Vegeta. The two didn't normally get along at all, but now they needed to work together to find Gohan and figure out what the hell was going on. But first they had something else to do that wasn't going to be as simple…

"Wait a second. Where do you two think you're going?" screeched Bulma as she watched the two get up and prepare to leave after just arriving. "And what exactly happened out there? Sparring no doubt…probably hurt yourselves because of your big ass egos." Continued Bulma, smirk pulling at her ruby painted lips, her hands moving to rest on her hips in defiance to their leaving.

"We're leaving, what does it look like?" said Vegeta rather irritatedly. He absolutely hated when Bulma would question him about his actions, plus it wasn't like it was any of her business in the first place.

Bulma eyes narrowed dangerously close as she shot Vegeta a deadly glare, her mouth opening to hit him with a tirade of insults. "What did you say? That's it I'm rid of the gra…" Bulma's yelling was interrupted as Piccolo put up a hand, silencing the two's argument, though Vegeta couldn't help but snort at the Namek's actions.

"Will you two stop arguing for a minute, we need to figure out how to get Gohan back." Barked Piccolo, his voice edged with anger for the two's constant fighting. They never seemed to be able to agree on anything and it was really starting to become annoying, especially when they had something they needed to take care of and do.

"Gohan?" repeated Bulma softly, her eyebrows rising when Piccolo mentioned the boy. "What happened to him? I thought he was at home…" her light voice trailed off as she tilted her head to the side slightly, blue strands of hair falling carelessly against the side of her face with the movement.

"Gohan was taken," stated Piccolo singly, not at all in a pleasant mood about the situation and not wanting to go into details about something so foreign. His arms moved to fold over his broad chest as he let out an exasperated sigh at Bulma's expression.

"What? I can't believe this! Chi-Chi is going to be so upset…" said Bulma softly, her head shaking slowly at the tantrum the other women was mostly going to have when she found out her son was taken. Her eyebrows rose slowly as she looked up to meet Piccolo and Vegeta's glaze, a curious hint behind them. "Who took him?" she asked, her hands moving to rest on her hips with the question. A sigh fell between her parted lips at the snort she received from the two, her answer already known from their looks. "I hope you know that I am _not_ going to tell Chi-Chi. Since you two didn't want to believe Gohan than you can be the ones to tell her." Said Bulma sternly, her arms leaving her hips as they folded over her chest in defiance.

"We already know that. We were just about to leave." Said Piccolo softly, his arms unfolding from across his chest as he began to walk for the exit of the room, fully intent on tell Chi-Chi and being done with it. He didn't want to drag the thing out any longer than he had too.

"Damnit, Namek, I hope you know what you're doing. I don't feel like listening to an annoying women's wailings." Barked Vegeta as he looked at Piccolo, his dark eyes narrowing on him as he unhappily followed after the Namek. There was no way he was going to be the one to tell Chi-Chi, he just wanted to see these so-called bio-androids and try his might against them. He had no doubt in his mind that he would be able to finish them off quickly.

A soft tap echoed down an empty hallway as Tinokoto walked down the hallways of the Star Nova. His tail swayed absently behind him, the metal clad tip tapping against the hard surface every once in a while to cause a ring to sound down the hallway. The smell was foul, actually it was much worse than foul in Tinokoto's case. The hallways were smeared with blood, sometimes the outline of a body, or maybe just a hand found among the crusted and dried surface. Tinokoto merely shrugged off the appearance of the walls, knowing it to be typical for this section of the ship. It was the place where their "guests" were taken, though usually it ended up the place of their death as well.

A small laugh escaped from Tinokoto's pale lips at the thought of Son Gohan finding himself in such a place. Sure, the brat was probably still asleep, in a little dreamland of his own for the time being. But that would eventually end and the boy would have to face the reality of his position. He was in their hands now and Tinokoto was going to make the kid's life hell as long as he could. He knew once they reached Mankin that Tinokoto would be done with his little "errant" that he resented with much anger, wanting only to kill Gohan for making him actually go somewhere to retrieve such a useless creature. There were by far much better people he could be finding than some brat and his father. 

"But of course the dad is dead," said Tinokoto aloud to himself, a small chuckle rumbling in his throat at the thought. The kid seemed to hate when he talked about his father…ah, yes, this was the perfect thing to torture the boy with. The thought brought a cruel smile to Tinokoto's face; the look disgusting and unpleasant on the bio-android's features. Tinokoto almost seemed to hop with glee as he made his way down the corridor, his big feet thucking heavily against the ground with his movements. He stopped after going on for a while in front of a door, the number 54 written in bold above it. A grin spread across his lips as he stood in front of the door where Gohan was imprisoned. His tailed tapped lightly against the ground behind, the metal plates strapped tightly around it echoing against the otherwise silent hallway. His hand reached out slowly, unlocking the door as he punched in a few codes into the keypad by the door. It beeped lightly, signaling that it was unlocked before opening a half an inch, allowing Tinokoto entrance as the android pulled open the door and walked inside, letting it close behind him with a soft tap.

To be continued…


	12. GJ - Part 12

This chapter took an awfully long time to write and was quite difficult to finish. Normally I would fly by a chapter like this one, but I was having some problems. But thanks to some reviews I got on the story in the middle of writing it (this being to my surprise too), I got extremely motivated and finished the chapter. Reviews seem to spur me on to writing, thankfully I got them otherwise I wasn't sure when I would be able to finish this chapter.  
  
  
Gohan's Journey  
Chapter XII  
  
  
  
Tinokoto's tail flipped anxious behind him as his keen vision looked through the very dark, dank, and wretched smelling cell in which he had walked into. The room was completely bare, dull walls made of a steel-like material keeping the room together. The place reeked of irony blood, the smell filling into all the corners of the room and engulfing it with the dried, crusted, blood that had caused it in the first place. But what was at the back of the room was what had Tinokoto the most fascinated with, his senses completely ignoring the rest of the room and the horridness of it as he slowly stalked across the cell, his feet hitting heavily against the ground. A grin looked to cross his light blue tinted lips, his arms slowly folding over his chest as he stared at the sight of Son Gohan.   
  
The boy was lying on the ground, his body curled up into a tight ball. His legs were hugged against his chest, his chained arms draping loosely over them as his chin tucked as close to them as possible. His clothes were battered, ruined and torn up all over the place. They reeked of his own crusted blood that had become soiled into the soft fabric and ruined it for good. His raven hair was matted with blood, the normal uplifted strands laying flat against his head and into his face, covering the boy's vision, though Tinokoto doubted he would want to see him at the moment, if he was even conscious.   
  
A smirk formed across Tinokoto's face as he looked down at the boy, his glaze shifting to the confines that held him. His ankles and wrists were clad with a thick, heavy metal that were near impossible to break, these in return connected to the wall, which only allowed him to move no further than two feet away from the wall. Though he still had some space left the boy almost seemed reluctant to move away from the space, the wall that he must have thought protected him. A rumble sounded in Tinokoto's chest at the thought, a hearty laugh escaping between pale lips as his glaze moved to rest on the boy again. Yes, he truly was going to make the boy's next few days a living hell, if it wasn't already it was sure as hell going to get worse. He really didn't have anything against the kid except for the fact that he had been dragged so damn far just to retrieve some gaki that couldn't even listen to him when he told him that they were after him and that he had to come. But thenagain, who would want to come when they were there to kidnap you.  
  
"Gohan...time to wake up." said Tinokoto, his voice almost near soft as he bent down closer to the boy's ear. His tail flipped behind him once before he brought it crashing down on Gohan's back, the metal plate edges piercing the boy's flesh and breaking through the skin with a Kami awful stretch sound ringing through the small room.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Mom! Mom, Veggie and Pic-lo are here!" rang the voice of the small Goten, thick black strands bouncing about his head as he ran to the kitchen; Vegeta and Piccolo following close behind the small child after having him let them into the house. The place was spotless, clean and smelled of house cleaner; Chi-Chi had obviously been working today. Vegeta and Piccolo both wrinkled their noses up at the smell, not at all enjoying the tangy scent in their sensitive nostrils.  
  
"You're telling her," hissed Vegeta softly, a snort admitting from his nostrils as his arms moved to cross over his chest. His dark eyes stared toward the kitchen where Goten had run off to, the two having remained in the living room to wait for the women to show herself. It wasn't like they were anticipating telling her that her son was kidnapped and taken off the planet on a ship that was going to Kami knows where!  
  
"Whatever..." mumbled Piccolo softly, not at all caring to do the deed either but knowing that it must be done nonetheless. He wasn't thrilled about the idea of telling Chi-Chi to say the least, but he knew the situation would only be worse if they didn't tell her and she found out from someone like Bulma. Piccolo's ears twitched slightly as he heard light sounds coming from the kitchen, the soft sound of Chi-Chi scolding her son.  
  
"Goten! Why did you let them in? I thought I told you not too..." Chi-Chi was whispering to her son, her voice low though Piccolo could still catch the words clearly.  
  
"But mom, they're Gohan's friends!" pleaded the small boy, his voice stretching to an annoying tone that started driving Piccolo mad after the second word he uttered.  
  
"No buts, next time just come and get me but leave them outside."  
  
"Okay mom, if you say so...But Gohan told me...!"  
  
The boy's words stopped there immediately, a small chuckle ringing from Piccolo's lips. He was positive that Chi-Chi had given the boy one of her well-known glares, quieting him down at once.  
  
"And what's so funny to you? This isn't a laughing matter." Barked Vegeta softly, his question going unanswered as Chi-Chi wandered into the room, Goten following closely behind her as the boy wrapped his fingers around the edge of her dress.  
  
"Can I help you?" spoke Chi-Chi softly, her voice hinting towards annoyance as she slowly bent down to pick up Goten. The boy squirmed as his mother picked him up, resting against her hip as his fingers dug into the top of her clothes, his ebony eyes outcast toward the two visitors he rarely, if ever, saw. Moving her free hand to rest on her hip, Chi-Chi's impending glaze moved to rest on the two, a glare hidden within the look's depth at the two's arrivals. She didn't at all like having the two around, she found them as a bad influence on Gohan and Goten, making her not liking their presence in their home. Though the notion of why they had come was the only reason keeping Chi-Chi from kicking them out of the house, her eyes showing her fiery mood as she stared at them.  
  
Vegeta snorted softly, his eyes moving to stare around the house as he avoided Chi-Chi's glaze, letting Piccolo do the talking. Piccolo picked up the signal immediately, his eyes moving to stare at Chi-Chi before clearing his throat and speaking. "Chi-Chi, Gohan has been kidnapped by the bio-androids he told us about and we don't know where he is. We believe they took him into space." Said Piccolo singly, his face wrinkling up at the look he saw flash across Chi-Chi's face. Her angry look dropped immediately, her mouth slightly ajar with an unbelieving presence as she slowly let Goten drop to the ground from her side, the boy standing up on his own.   
  
"Mommy?" Questioned Goten softly, his beady eyes looking up toward Chi-Chi as his small fingers clenched around the end of her dress. His thick raven stranded head turned to look toward Piccolo and Vegeta for some type of answer, the small boy letting out a soft yelp as his mother sunk to her knees beside him, her hands moving to cover her face.   
  
"No, no...you're lying! Gohan would never...he couldn't have..." Chi-Chi's distraught voice sounded through the room in a near unaubile whimper, her head shaking slowly in disbelief. Thin strands of hair gently caressed the sides of her face, tears forming in her eyes from the news, though she tried in vain to push the thoughts and emotions away.   
  
"You're lying!" she said again, her voice louder and more stern. Moving her hands away from her eyes, Chi-Chi looked with tear-streaked eyes at Piccolo and Vegeta. "I don't believe you! Get out now!" screeched Chi-Chi loudly, one braceletted hand moving to point toward the front door from her position on the ground. It took her only a moment before her head fell into her hands, hot tears streaming down her face from the impossible thought. No, she couldn't have lost her son. She had already lost her husband, why her son too? The thoughts rolled over in her mind, Chi-Chi trying to push them aside. She didn't even notice when Vegeta and Piccolo simply turned around and left, not caring for that matter either.  
  
"Mom, stop! Please stop! Where's Gohan? Mom, I want Gohan!" whimpered Goten, on the verge of tears himself from just seeing his mother crying. He didn't understand what Piccolo had been talking about, only knowing that it involved Gohan in some way or another. The thought only made Goten want his brother more, knowing he would be able to deal with the situation. He knew he couldn't do it himself, he didn't even know why his mother was crying in the first place! Whimpering softly, Goten curled up next to his mother, a soft cry for his brother's return ringing from the boy's lips.  
  
  
  
  
  
Long rolling lanes of grass spread out before the single being. The slivers of small soft green grass blew gently in the light breeze that held the scene. The pinkish-red sky burst to life in front of the view, the single figure's mouth agasp as his ebony eyes stared out at the sight in wonderment. A purely fascinated look crossed the boy's features, his dark eyes holding a glint of curiosity that seemed to ignite with the scenery that was laid out in front of him. A small smile flickered onto the boy's chapped lips, his tongue moving from his mouth to lick his lips before he forcefully closed them.  
  
The boy plopped to the ground on his butt, his legs weary though he didn't betray the look. He smiled contently nonetheless, losing himself in the sight in front of him as he let out a deep breath. The boy's spiky strands jolted from his head in a disheveled array, his fingers moving to intertwine behind his head as he slowly leaned back. Small slivers of sharp grass probed his skin lightly, though the boy easily ignored them, his glaze looking upward and toward the sky. The pinkish-red color was slowly changing, spiraling in mid-air as the sky began to darken, the pink turning to a deep red hue, the hue of scarlet blood.  
  
Gohan sighed from his sparrled out position, his head turning away from the sight as flesh trickled under the sensation of grass against his cheeks. His eyes closed partway as he soaked in the small light that was still left in the sky, a peaceful aura around his subconscious mind.  
  
"Gohan..."  
  
A voice snapped Gohan from his near-sleep state, his ebony eyes brought to attention as he quickly probed himself up on his elbows, his raven strands dancing in front of his face. "Who's there?" asked Gohan tentatively. The voice he had heard familiar, though he shook the thought off, his body shivering at his own mind. There was no way that voice could belong to...Gohan's thoughts trailed off, his ebony eyes thoughtful as he slowly pried himself from his sitting position. He pulled himself into a standing position, a sigh falling from his lips as he looked around the area. The place he was at was a vast array of fields, rolling hills dotting some points, though no end to the scenery seemed within the boy's keen sight.  
  
"Gohan...I counted on you."  
  
The voice called out to Gohan again, his body turning around as he heard the sound reaching out from behind him. "Who-?" he stopped his speaking immediately, his mouth coming ajar as he looked at the sight in front of him. His fingers balled into tight fists, his eyes going dazed before he plummeted to the ground, his vision engulfed in darkness.  
  
"Gohan I counted on you. I trusted you. You said you would take care of the earth...Look at you, you can't even take care of yourself. You're not my son, you're a weakling. No son of mine would be so easily overcome. I shouldn't have believed in you. I shouldn't have given my life for you. You weren't worth it...you weren't." said the voice of Son Goku, his words reaching into the depths of Gohan's mind as the saiya-jin kneeled over the boy's unconscious body.  
  
"No good. Pointless. Weak. Pathetic." Goku continued, his voice resounding his hatred and distaste for the child in front of him. His look was serious, his dark eyes narrowed as ink-black strands swayed gently about his head in the evening breeze. His thoughts, however, were elsewhere. On the boy in front of him, the conscious form that he shook furiously, not about to let the boy rest while he was in the middle of yelling at him.  
  
A wicked smile crossed Goku's lips as he watched Gohan slowly pry his eyes open, his ebony eyes gazed over and unfocused. "Get up," sounded Goku's voice as he slowly stood, his words stern and forceful to the ear. He didn't waste a moment as Gohan struggled to right himself, a befuddled expression written on the boy's features, as Goku reached down a hand and yanked the boy to his feet. "I said get up." mocked the ink-black stranded saiya-jin, his eyes cruel and tauntful.  
  
"Dad...Daddy, what...why are you doing this? What are you doing here? I don't understand..." rambled Gohan, his voice in a jumble as he tried to form coherent words. He wasn't having much luck and found himself giving his father a pleadful expression, just wanting to know what was going on.  
  
"Of course you wouldn't understand...how could you? You're inferior." Said Goku, his arms folding defiantly over his chest as he looked down at his son in distaste at what he saw.  
  
"But-but...Dad, how can you say that! What's going on, I don't like this at all." Said Gohan softly, his glaze looking downward at his father's sight. This was nothing like last time. He truly was weak, his father saw that now by how easily he was taken over with by those bio-androids. A loud sigh rattled from Gohan's chest, his glaze setting upward to look at his father. His expression was pleadful, billions of questions lurking behind his glaze.  
  
Questions. Questions without answers.  
  
Gohan felt on the vague of tears, his eyes rimming with water as the stinging sensation only proved to worsen them.  
  
"I counted on you," said Goku softly, his voice interrupting Gohan's pensive state as the saiya-jin turned his back to the younger boy. "You said you could do it. You said you could take care of the earth. I guess I was wrong about you." Continued Goku, his breath rattling from his chest in a frustrated sigh as he paused to let all the information sink in. He didn't feel any remorse for his words, speaking only the truth even if it did hurt Gohan's feelings. But thenagain, he really didn't care if he hurt the boy's feelings.  
  
Gohan was at a loss for words, his mouth ajar as all his father's words soaked into him. His head slowly shook in disbelief, his eyes watering, as his raven strands danced in front of his face. "Dad...I'm so sorry." Whispered Gohan, his voice barely a whisper. He felt so ashamed, so alone, so cold.  
  
"Sorry won't cut it. You failed me Gohan!" shouted out Goku, turning around suddenly as he hit his son neatly along his jaw, sending the boy flying several feet back. The saiya-jin didn't flinch as he heard Gohan whimper in pain, the younger saiya-jin trying to pry himself from the ground while one hand remained on his throbbing cheek.  
  
"You failed me," repeated Goku again as he began stalking toward Gohan, his arms moving to gently sway against his sides as he walked the short distance between them.  
  
"I counted on you..."  
  
"You failed me..."  
  
"I trusted you..."  
  
"Your pathetic, a weakling..."  
  
"You're no son of mine..."  
  
The words of his father rattled Gohan, his eyes closing tightly as he tried to block them away. He was purely and simply at a loss for words, the blunt truth never hurting so much. He felt as if his heart had stopped beating, his very exsistence- his life! -coming to a stop at his father's taunting words. He couldn't believe it yet he was standing right there and saying them. The words left the boy crippled and battered, his thoughts a hubbub with his emotions as the feelings overwhelmed him.  
  
"Gohan...time to wake up." called out a soft voice, the sound ringing close to his ears as pain engulfed him only causing Gohan's to voice scream out in agony.  
  
  
  
  
  
There was a loud crunch as Gohan's body met with the wall, his head banging against the side as the boy cried out in pain. He groaned softly, trying to roll over on his back but found the task excessively difficult. His hands fell heavily against the ground, unable to pry them any further than half an inch from the ground because of the huge weight of the cuffs on his wrists. The boy whimpered softly, still too stuck in his dream-like state, his mind dazed with pain, too understand what was going on around his physical body.  
  
"You know I really expected more out of you. I heard so much yet got so little."   
Said Tinokoto absently, his arms folding over his chest as he leaned against one of the blood strained walls, his tail flipping through the air behind him. A smirk pulled onto his lips as he watched the saiya-jin squirm, trying to right himself before eventually giving up and finding the task too difficult. "Your father...now he was one that would be worth my time. The highly talked about Goku. What a bunch of shit. Your father, so well praised as he was, was truly nothing. I could see pass his good deeds, towards that lesser side of him easily." Stated Tinokoto with a snort, the skin above his eyebrows raising slightly as he heard inaudible noises admitting from Gohan's mouth.  
  
"What's that?" asked Tinokoto lightly, moving his back away from the wall as he stalked over to the saiya-jin boy, who rested on his side, his back and hurt side closest to the bio-android. Tinokoto's blue tinted lips pulled into a grin, turning his head slightly to glance at the boy's face. His look was contorted into that of pain and sorrow, his mouth slightly agasp as he mumbled incoherent words, his raven strands matted against his head and hiding most of his face. "Come again?" asked Tinokoto again, his voice light and free, almost to the point of giddy at the boy's murmurs.   
  
Tinokoto's tail moved from behind him slowly, the jagged tip probing Gohan lightly as the boy winced visibly under the touch. The sharp edge gently hit him on his lower back, the stinging sensation causing a chain reaction to flow throughout Gohan's body as the boy bit down on his lip hard, refusing to show the pain though it was obvious. He could taste the irony blood building in his mouth as his teeth cut into his lip, piercing the tender and soft skin. The touch, the light tap, though small in size, was excruciating for Gohan, his already hurt body making the pain even worse. He had not even been left alone for ten hours to heal himself when Tinokoto had decided it was time to pay the young saiya-jin a visit, Gohan cringed at the thoughts.  
  
When he had first been dragged into the room he had barely registered anything, too drugged with whatever Heran had given him to realize where he was or what was going on. His ebony eyes were glazed over, his head spinning out of control and his limbs num in many areas. The smell of the place had invaded his nostrils, filling them with the horrid smell and causing the boy's nose to wrinkle up in disgust. He may have been a fighter but he sure as hell didn't live like others did, he couldn't stand the smell nor the state in which everything had been in. Though these things were soon forgotten from the boy's mind.  
  
He had been thrown into the dank room, roughly, to the ground, his body thumping lightly on the hard surface. The android, whoever it had been, had immediately covered his wrists in the thick metal cuffs, Gohan not sure what they had done, though he was sure at one point that they were draining his ki. He had felt extremely weak once they had been put on, weak to the point where he only had the ki he needed to survive and none more. Gohan had had little time to contemplate these thoughts, the after effects of the drugs beginning to set in as the boy found himself soon drifting off into his terrible nightmare.  
  
And then he was to the present. His body hurled across the room and into the wall from Tinokoto. The android really seemed to hate him, mused Gohan silently to himself, really wondering why. It couldn't possibly be as the android claimed, that it was a mere grudge that was causing him to be so foul in a disposition when confronted with the boy.   
  
Why?  
  
The question rolled over in Gohan's thought, the young saiya-jin unable to come up with a logical answer. But thenagain he wasn't sure if there was a logical answer, things never seemed to be that way for him or anyone else he knew.  
  
"I was thinking...that perhaps once we drop you off at Mankin-sei that we will head back to earth..." said Tinokoto softly, his chin tilted downward as he looked at the boy. He slowly paced around him, his tail absently thumping against the ground and causing the boy to cringe under the noise that thoroughly annoyed his sensitive ears, one pressed hard against the cold metal ground. The sound echoed off and hit straight into his ears, the young saiya-jin wincing though he tried in vain to stop it.   
  
"Wm...whm..." Gohan's inaudible murmurs continued, his voice gentle and delicate as if he were afraid that he would hurt himself if he spoke to loud, though the truth was that he couldn't talk any louder.  
  
"You really should speak more clearly..." mumbled Tinokoto slowly, a slightly annoyed breath falling from his lips. "Maybe if you try a little harder I won't have to hurt you until you do it right." Continued Tinokoto slowly, finding the protest of hurting the boy more than worth it even if he did manage to speak at an audible level.   
  
"Wh...why?" Gohan's single question fell from his lips no louder than a whisper, his ebony eyes closed tightly as he tried to surpress a cough. He kept his mouth closed however, his body shaking as blood tried to work its way to the back of his throat.  
  
"Why? What a silly question, though I shouldn't expect much less for you." Said Tinokoto, his arms slowly crossing over his chest as he barely caught the boy's question. He smirked, his tail batting around behind him before thickly resting on the ground, the metal spiked end rapping against the hard surface. "Gohan, Gohan, Gohan..." started the bio-android softly, repeating the boy's name as he slowly shook his head. "You really are quite clueless. Your friends, Gohan. Your family...all of them." Stated Tinokoto simply, leaving the rest to imagination on Gohan's part. He smirked as he heard the boy whimper softly, throwing aside the sounds that admitted for the boy, not caring at all.  
  
Good.  
  
The word rolled over in Tinokoto's made mind, the very circuits within his design tingling and twitching with a giddiness that could only be described as joy.   
  
Joy.  
  
He was actually enjoying tormenting the boy. He smiled at the thought. He didn't like the boy at all, actually he thought a bug served more purpose in life than the young saiya-jin boy. Bugs, at least, did things that would better help a planet such as the earth. A cycle of some sorts? Yes, that had been what he had read about when files of earth had been opened within his mind, his brain exposed to the history and terrors that had occurred throughout the planet's life.  
  
A chuckle rang from Tinokoto's lips, his tail rapping gently against the ground as he turned to leave the room. His feet touched heavily against the ground, the solid surface shaking slightly with the movements of the bulky figure. "Oh and Gohan," he paused for a moment, turning around to look at the boy's turned back for a moment. "I hope you didn't have any unfinished business with your father. That would surely be a shame..." the android smirked, turning on his heels and opening the door. He shut it loudly behind him, engulfing Gohan in the darkness of his own cell and mind.  
  
To be continued...  
  
On a side note, to anyone who has read my DoF fic...Expect the second part to come out later this week, I was having some problems with a scene but I'm almost done with it now.  



	13. GJ - Part 13

I've got a question for all the readers out there. Since I now have the opportunity to leave out the side sections of GJ, I was curious to see how many of you would like me to continue with the Piccolo & Vegeta or Chi-Chi & Goten sections of the fic, or whether you'd like to see this pure Gohan from now on? This is the first chance for this happen and I was curious as to what people think. Anyhow, enjoy...  
  
Gohan's Journey  
Chapter XIII  
  
  
Gohan had always been a good boy. He did what his mother told him to do, always kept his room cleaned, played with his little brother, washed the dishes, and even did extra work around the house just to raise his mother's mood when she was having a bad day. He'd always shower, make sure he smelled nice, and make sure to make time after a brief spar to get cleaned up and not drag mud into the house. He was a nice boy. Sweet, courteous, never talked back or mouthed off to anyone or anything. He always tried to do his best, even if he didn't like what he was doing, never wanting to be less than his mother's or anyone's wishes.   
  
These were the types of things Gohan saw himself as...Not this, not where he was now.  
  
He was locked in a cell with no way out, not an entrance or exit, nothing. He was trapped, trapped like a rat that just wanted to get some cheese so that he could survive a little longer. A sigh rang from Gohan's lips, his back pushed hard against the cool wall that he was sitting next to, the hairs on the back of his neck tingling with the cold sensation. His hands rested at his side, one drapping onto his thigh, as the gentle shifting of metal was heard. The chains that he had been locked too were quite heavy and difficult to move, not to mention as noisy as hell. The rattling of the chains almost drove him insane within the first few hours that he had been conscious and left alone. The constant "cling" and "clang" driving his sensitive saiya-jin hearing up the wall.  
  
He had lost track of time quickly, the thought of it quite annoying to say the least. Whether it had been a few hours or days, Gohan had no clue. The only thing he knew was that he was dying to get out of the cell, out of the darkness of the room. Tinokoto had seemed to make it his priority to come and visit him at intermittent intervals just to try and confuse him more. It was horrible, excruciating to say the least. Sometimes he would only stay for a few tentative minutes, other times for what seemed like hours on ends. He'd talk at first, simple and polite conversation, his tail usually moving out to bat behind him as he would circle around him, a pensive look written on his face. Then things would steadily go downward from there, the thoughts unbearable and quite unwitty in many instances. He'd taunted him about his family, his friends, and boost the fact that he would eventually be going back to earth just to destroy it.  
  
Gohan's breath rattled from his throat, the air barely making pass his lips as he began into a coughing fit. The boy squirmed under his confines, wishing...no hoping for some means of relief. His stomach, as if on cue, growled softly. He was so hungry. He was barely ever fed and when he was he felt like they didn't give him anymore than what he needed to live, his head shaking slowly at his thoughts. He had to get his mind elsewhere otherwise he would surely drive himself insane.  
  
His head slowly shook as he moved his thoughts elsewhere, absently tugging on the chains that held him confined against the wall, allowing him only a little bit of free movement before he would reach their limit and he would no longer be able to push forward. He growled softly, fully frustrated that he couldn't move, hell, he couldn't even stand!  
  
He tugged at his confines irritated at himself even more than the things that were holding him back. He couldn't help but blame himself for all of the problems that were plaguing him at the moment. He had been the one to bring them onto himself, unable to hold himself up against the bio-androids that were after him. He felt foolish and stupid for his acts, unable to hold the feelings away from his mind. He couldn't help it, the situation was so frustrating!  
  
Gohan's attention snapped from his sulking, his head shooting up as he heard the rapping of feet against metal, a tingle of fear working its away down his back. He didn't want to know who was coming down the hallway, just hoping it was for someone else, though he knew the thought was in vain.  
  
He sighed softly, knowing he had needed some sort of plan to get out of this place and away from these creatures. His only options was escape, but to where? How? The questions plagued Gohan's mind like a virus as he tried to come up with some logical reasonings.  
  
  
  
  
  
The Northern Kaio, King Kai, walked threw the crowds of undead, his hands clasped behind his back as he peered through the people. His eyes glanced outward, in search of a particular tall man with spiky ink-black hair. He sighed softly, his antennae's twitching as he suddenly caught sight of him. A breathe of relief fell between King Kai's lips as he stalked over to the saiya-jin who sat in the distance away from everyone else, one leg dangling over the edge of the walkway, lost within the puffy clouds disseminated around the area. His other leg was hugged up against his chest, his closest arm drapped loosely around it.  
  
"Goku...?" called out the Northern Kaio carefully, noting the man's downcast face and expression as he moved to stand beside him. He looked out over the edge of the walkway, his eyes staring out into the distance through dark glasses, taking in the sight of the afterlife grounds. "What happened to you? You look down in the mouth!" stated the Kaio jokingly, trying to get Goku's attention from his sorrowful mood.   
  
He blinked as Goku merely snorted softly, brushing aside his comment with a wave of his hand, his eyes staring back down the ground and his leg dangling over the side of the walkway. It was lost behind the puffy clouds that surrounded the area and everything around it, almost as if it creased to exist. Goku managed a choked chuckle at his own thoughts, swinging his leg gently and practically feeling as it cut through the thick, feathery clouds.  
  
"Goku say something for crying out loud!" King Kai practically shouted at the saiya-jin, his fingers moving in front of his wide stomach as they clenched into angry fists. He was becoming quite annoyed, to say the least, that Goku was leaving out of everything. He wanted to know what the hell was going and he wanted to know immediately. He never had been good with patience anyway.  
  
"He said...that there wasn't anyway to save him. That it was a lost cause now." Stated Goku simply, a deep sigh ringing between his parted lips. He moved his head slowly, straying a quick glance at the Kaio before quickly turning away, his shoulders slumped.   
  
"Who?" asked King Kai, the skin above his eyebrows raising with his question. He looked at Goku quizzically, a curious expression written into his features. He was curious to figure out just "who" Goku had been speaking with lately, since the saiya-jin seem to refuse to tell him on many occasions, which thoroughly annoyed him.  
  
"Junko," said Goku singly, his glaze moving to stare back out into the distance.  
  
"Junko...?" repeated the Northern Kaio slowly, his look pensive as he turned toward Goku. The saiya-jin sensed his movement, his eyes daring a look up at the standing Kaio. "Who the hell is Junko?!" screeched King Kai loudly, causing Goku to nearly slip off the edge of the walkway as the saiya-jin threw his hands up in surprise by the Northern Kaio's sudden yelling.  
  
  
  
  
  
Chi-Chi sniffled softly, her eyes red and puffy as she moved up a hand to wipe away a few tears from her eyes. She sighed deeply, a hand moving up to brush aside her bangs as hugged her knees to her chest. She sat on the floor in the middle of the living room, having cried her eyes out for at least an hour straight over the dreadful news that Piccolo and Vegeta had given her. She could barely believe what she had heard, though deep down inside she knew they wouldn't lie to her. They wouldn't dare lie to her.  
  
"Mommy, what's the matter?" called out the voice of Goten, the young boy standing up in front of Chi-Chi as he probbed her lightly with his hand, trying to move her. He had been dreadfully afraid since Piccolo and Vegeta had left, his mother crying continuously over something that he didn't understand. The only thing he did know was that his brother wasn't here and he wanted him badly. He wanted someone to tell him everything would be all right and that he would handle things. Goten sniffled softly, tugging at end of his mother's dress hard as he tried to get her attention.  
  
"Mommy?" he called out again, his voice sounding as if he were on the verge of tears for being ignored during this extremely hard situation. He shook his head slowly, thick raven strands bobbing about his head with the motion, as he pushed the thoughts away. He wouldn't let himself appear to be weak, he had to be strong for his brother and for himself.  
  
He blinked his wide eyes as Chi-Chi slowly moved her hands from her face, slightly red eyes staring toward Goten as Chi-Chi moved forward and embraced her son in a tight hug. She sobbed softly, muttering this and that in incoherent words that seemed to make absolutely no sense to Goten, though he did catch the mention of his brother's name.   
  
"Mom, where's Gohan?" asked Goten softly, pulling away from his mother as her arms let go from around him. He blinked as she rested her hands on his small shoulders, a confused expression forming on his features as he looked at her quite bewildered.  
  
"He's gone, sweetie." Said Chi-Chi softly, barely uttering the words through a soft whimper and sob. Her eyes filled with fresh tears as they cascaded down the sides of her face, her hands moving up to cover her face. She cried loudly, her voice catching in her throat, unable to believe this was happening. First she had lost her husband and now her son. This couldn't be happening to her, why couldn't things just be normal? She sighed softly at her thoughts, wipping away her tears with the back of her hand. But thenagain, nothing was ever "normal" with Goku and he had obviously passed on the trait to his sons. "Great," muttered Chi-Chi sarcastically, a sigh falling between her lips.  
  
"Mom I want Gohan!" screamed Goten out loudly, his small fingers clenching into fists at his sides as he shouted. "Where'd he go mom? Why didn't he tell me or say goodbye?" demanded the small boy, sniffling softly as he tried to keep himself from breaking down like his mother, though it wouldn't be for the same reason. He thought his bother had ditched him. Left him behind and had some wild adventure without him by his side. "Why'd he leave me behind mom?" asked Goten slowly, his voice calming down as he sniffled again.  
  
"I don't know, Goten. I just...don't know." Said Chi-Chi gently, taking her son within her arms as she cradled the boy. She shook her head slowly, hoping this was all just some crazy nightmare that she would wake up from soon.  
  
  
  
  
  
Vegeta sighed softly, his arms slowly folding over his chest as he looked toward the Namek sitting mid-air in front of him, his legs folded inward indian style. "So in otherwords this was just a big waste of my time and there's absolutely nothing we can do?" said Vegeta harshly, his voice edged with an uncanny desire to hurt the Namek for dragging him around all day for the stupid purpose of nothing. To him this was a horrible day.  
  
First he had missed his chance to fight the bio-androids, had to listen to the sobs of a women, and then discuss sategies to getting Kakarot's gaki back from the bio-androids. This wasn't turning into a good day at all, mused Vegeta to himself, a cold stare in his eyes as he looked toward Piccolo. He had every nerve of turning around and leaving the Namek alone to think of some plan himself, but he suddenly thought better of it, deciding against being foolish. Well, really, he just wanted to know if there was some way he would still be able to fight the androids. Hell to Gohan, he just wanted to fight.  
  
"Exactly," was Piccolo simple answer, only receiving an irritated snort from Vegeta in a rebuke. "There's no way for us to know where they are going and we don't have a ship that would be ready in time. I don't even think Bulma could handle that." Explained Piccolo slowly, his voice dipping with an annoyed tone. He wasn't at all happy with his findings, deep down inside knowing that this was the true case in many ways, though he had hoped in vain that they would find some way to help Gohan. He didn't even want to know what could possibly happen to him...his thoughts trailed away from him briefly, his head shaking in disbelief. He wasn't about to let himself get sucked into that way of thinking.  
  
"Well if that's the case then I'm going home. Its not like I care about the situation anyway." Stated Vegeta as he slowly uncrossed his arms. He let his hands sway at his sides as he stared briefly at the Namek, snorting softly before hopping into the air and taking off for Capsule Corporation. He was in no mood to be lollygaging and quickly made his way home, fully intent on sulking for the rest of the evening as he thought over these bio-androids.  
  
Piccolo watched as Vegeta left, his head shaking slowly at the saiya-jin's horrid disposition. He had seemed to become worse and worse since Goku's death. Piccolo chuckled softly at his finding, figuring that since Vegeta no longer had a goal to accomplish that things were quite difficult for him, causing him to take out his aggression on the nearest thing alive.   
  
Piccolo's chuckle died down after a moment, his cape lapping at his ankles as he slowly moved from his sitting position in mid-air, his hands reaching out to tug at his cape and retrieve it from the branch of a bush. He sighed softly as he looked toward the sky briefly before moving out into the forest, the tall Namekian becoming invisible within the luscious forest as he went to contemplate the events that had occurred throughout the day. Most of all trying to make sense of the situation going on.  
  
  
  
  
  
Jatshu was an elite fighter. He was quick, agile, he was also an android. A creature comprised of mechanical parts and devices? No, he was a bio-android, a thing created from living organisms and genetic materials that comprised his being. His speed, agility, everything, was created into him. He wasn't 'born" with it, rather it was given to him.   
  
He chuckled softly at his musing, keeping the feeling away from him as he walked down the corridors of the lower section in the Star Nova. His tail swung through the air lightly behind him, the metal plated tip banging lightly against the ground every once in a while as he made his way across the hallway. He didn't like coming down to these ends of the ship, but he knew he had too. Something very important was going to happen in a short while. They were going to land on Mankin.  
  
The planet, the large dull blue planet that loomed in front of the ship was soon growing closer and closer, making it only mere hours before they would arrive at it's welcoming gates. Mankin was the base of Kinson's operations and was his planet completely. The man was a marvel, pure and simple. He had designs like no other when coming to the machine benefits of androids, using this knowledge to the fullest in order to create an army of bio-androids. Though, still, the reasons why he wanted the boy dubbed Son Gohan was beyond Jatshu's beliefs.  
  
Sure, Kinson had told some of the "higher-class" androids, Tinokoto preferably, about the reasonings behind bringing the boy to him...Jatshu chuckled softly at his own thoughts, absently straightening out the side crossed belt around his waist where he kept all his devices and communicational things. He was far from the top ranking officers, but hell, at least he was something and not one of the lowly and braindead footsoliders. Those usually were the ones who received problems when uploading information into their databanks.  
  
Jatshu shrugged, not like he cared anyway. Though the one he did care about was Takuan. The android was insane, pure and simple. He was undoubtably the strongest of the bio-androids and Kinson's right hand man in many ways. But the android was a fend. He loved death, torturing, anything that inflicted pain. He was a menacing sight to say the least. Jatshu shook his head slowly, trying to rid himself of the thoughts of the android, who sent shivers down his artificial spine.   
  
Pushing the thoughts away for another time, Jatshu blinked as he felt the ship shift underneath him, a grin forming on his lips. "We've arrived on Mankin." Stated the android singly, chuckling as he nearly hopped toward Gohan's cell.  
  
A sharp jerk of the ship nearly sent Jatshu toppling over, his hands reaching out to brace himself so that he wouldn't fall. "Damn Daizo, needs to learn how to land." Muttered Jatshu angrily, pulling himself upright.   
  
He sighed softly, finding himself in front of Gohan's cell, as his hand reached out to type in a code for the door. It opened with a beep, allowing Jatshu entry as the android stepped inside of the small room. His coughed quite loudly as he walked into the room, the horrid smell of blood and filth invading his nostrils as he tried to breathe through the horrible smell. He coughed again, hoping to get the boy out of the room as soon as possible so he could leave.  
  
He blinked, his eyes scanning around the small room as he searched for Gohan's figure, a smirk on his lips as he noticed the boy sparreled out on the floor on his side. Jatshu stalked over to the boy slowly, his tail moving to tap Gohan's thigh lightly to see if the boy was even conscious. Jatshu couldn't help but chuckle as the boy merely groaned softly, his body unmoving. The stupid boy probably got hit in the head when they had landed causing him to be in such a state.  
  
"Come now, wake up, won't you?" questioned Jatshu with a smirk, putting on a quizzical look as he tilted his head to the side. "Come on now..." encouraged the android slowly, chuckling when the boy didn't move. "Too tired, ne? Alright, I'll take you anyway, even if you are useless." Continued Jatshu slowly, his hands moving to roll the boy over on his back.  
  
He blinked looking at the bloodied child in front of him, his head shaking slowly as he moved to the boy's wrists, removing off the extremely heavy cuffs that covered his entire wrist and then some. He quickly replaced them with another set; these smaller and lighter for the boy's size and frame so that he could walk around and carry himself. Jatshu knew he was sure as hell not going to carry around some brat. He sighed softly, grabbing onto the back of the boy's gi and lifting the limp figure up and to his feet with a quick jerk. His eyes danced curiously over the boy, noting his head, which was turned to the side, his ebony eyes hidden as he closed his eyes softly.  
  
A small twitch from the boy sent the flesh ridge above Jatshu's right eye to arch, a chant coming to his neck as the boy began to tremble. The boy's arms slowly began to move, his eyes still closed lightly, as he wrapped his arms around himself. Feeble, weak, the boy was frightened and trying to comfort himself. Jatshu chuckled at his musings, his neck rightening out as he began to lead the boy out of the room, his feet thumping heavily against the ground with the motion.  
  
"...Down..." the battered saiya-jin's voice fell between his lips in a whispery breath, his chin resting against his chest and his eyes still closed.  
  
"What? What was that?" barked Jatshu, just barely catching the words even with his sensitive and acute hearing. A smirk broke across his lips as the boy's arms fell to his sides, dangling limply from his body and swaying from side to side. "That's what I thought...weakling." Stated Jatshu harshly, his smirk widening into a grin.  
  
He blinked, his eyes going wide as he suddenly felt an elbow connecting to his stomach, a groan escaping between his tinted green lips. His eyes went quite wide, a look of pain crossing his features as the elbow twisted from his body as a leg connected to the side of his head sending him flying straight into a near by wall. His eyes became suddenly dazed and blurry. He cursed softly under his breath as his last vision was that of a raven stranded boy running out of the room of the cell, the clicking of his shoes echoing through the hallway.  
  
To be continued...  
  
The next chapter may take me a little longer than normal to get out since I'm going on vacation for a week starting Sunday. I'll try to get it done on time, though.  
  



	14. GJ - Part 14

Well the main reason for this chapter taking soooo long to come out has basically been because of ff.net being down, me with a little writer's block, and then my computer wanting to be a pain in the butt. Anyhow, sorry for the delay, but here's the next chapter. It's a piece of crap, I know, I just can't seem to have into the groove of things, so to speak.  
  
  
Gohan's Journey  
Chapter XIV  
  
  
Gohan's heart was pounding. He could feel it in his chest. The rushed beat of his heart as it hit rapidly against his chest and strode to be free. His feet clicked lightly against the ground, the metal ground ringing a "ding" sound with his boot-clad feet as he made his way across the empty corridors. The walls surrounding him, boxing him in, where barely in any better condition than his own cell had been. The walls, cascaded in crusted and dried blood, would be frightful to most but Gohan had been surrounded by them for Kami knows how long; he wasn't fazed.  
  
A sigh rang from Gohan's parted lips, his head turning to glance behind his shoulder. He wasn't being followed. The boy let out a content breathe. It had all happened so fast; one second he was a prisoner and now he was free. Free on Kami knows where, mused Gohan reluctantly. He had no clue where he was going, he just knew he had to get out of this ship; this place. He winced at his own thoughts. What was he thinking? He was broken down, injured-and oh Kami his side seemed to be killing him with even the slightest movement-what chance did he have of escape?  
  
He sighed softly, pushing the thoughts away from his mind; determined not to put himself down. This definitely wasn't the time to be thinking about such negative thoughts, though the thoughts seemed to be so true and in so many ways...  
  
Gohan blinked, suddenly taking notice of his surroundings.  
  
No longer did the layout of the ship seem so disturbing, the walls becoming less tainted with crusted blood and seeming even to have been washed to keep cleaner. The place was in a much better condition than the extremely few places he had actually been in. So far the entire time he had been on the ship he had been left completely in his cell-except for on two occasions where he had been taken to Hern to have his wounds checked on. And those definitely weren't two of his favorite experiences. The two trips had been horrible to say the least, in Gohan's opinion, and he had no desire whatsoever to relive them.  
  
Gohan pushed his thoughts away. He wasn't concentrating and he knew it. After all he had been put through and finally having a chance to escape all he could do was complain to himself. Gohan slowly shook his head at himself; forcing himself to concentrate on the situation at hand, as his dark ebony eyes moved to stare in front of himself. His piercing gaze cut through the air in front of him like a knife; his dark eyes narrowed and taking on a sudden seriousness and concentration. There was no way he was going to let his thoughts get the better of him; knowing he had a task at hand. He had to escape, that was the only option, but the problem was...how?  
  
  
  
  
  
Jatshu groggily opened his eyes, his vision blurred and dazed. The bio-android sighed softly, one hand moving up to gingerly rub his forehead as he let his vision adjust. "Damnable gaki," muttered Jatshu under his breathe, his eyes clearing and his vision returning as he began to move his hands underneath him and push himself into a standing position. He blinked as he quickly shot a cold glance around the cell he was in, his eyes narrowed and a fierce look in his icy eyes.  
  
"Damnit," cursed Jatshu loudly when he noticed the cell was otherwise vacant if not for himself. His fingers balled into fists, an angry and firey look in the depths of his eyes. He muttered curses under his breathe, his hands moving to straighten the belt hanging side-long around his slender hips, his tail batting behind him in a mixture of anxiousness and nervousness. He sighed softly, one hand reaching for the communicator on his belt as he ripped the small metal device from his side. The communicator wasn't much bigger than the palm of a small child's hand, the biggest point strapping behind Jatshu's ear by a thin wire and the voice range out far enough for him to speak softly and still be heard by the advanced device.  
  
His hands were shaking at his sides, a beat of sweat forming on his brow as he reached up a hand to wipe it away once he was finished tucking on the communication device.  
  
"Yes?" came a voice from the other side of the communicator as Jatshu flipped on the switch, the voice crisp and clear to his feline-like sensitive hearing.  
  
"Jatshu, sir, um I have some news concerning the boy, Son Gohan." Stated Jatshu nervously, trying vainly to will himself into a calm state of mind though the act seemed to be near impossible at this point.  
  
"Speak," was his reply, the word spoken singly and even.  
  
"Well...uh, the boy has escaped. He got away from me and he's somewhere in the ship." Said Jatshu very slowly, his voice near tentatively as he spoke. He wasn't at all happy that he had to reply such news but he only knew it would be worse if he waited.  
  
There was a short pause, Jatshu nervously rubbing his tongue over the back of his teeth. "Go look for the boy immediately, Tinokoto shall be informed at once. And damnit I hope you find him 'cause Tinokoto has been in a bad mood lately. Dazo out." Said Dazo, a click sounding from the other end of the communicator before it went dead and Jatshu was left with the task of finding the boy.  
  
Jatshu sighed softly at his unlucky fate, removing the communicator from his ear and strapping it to his belt. His long thick tail flipped behind him once before he bounded out of the cell at a fast jog.  
  
  
  
  
  
Tinokoto crossed his arms over his chest; his bright blue eyes staring out into the distance, his gaze holding a hard and cruel look to it. His thick metal plated tail swayed gently behind him, the spiked tips absently batting against the cold metal surface underneath him. He smirked, a long tongue protruding from his mouth as the silva filled tongue moved to rub over his blue tinted lips before slowly sliding back inside his mouth; his smirk still lingering. He was happy that they were back on Mankin, thinking things much better now that he was at a so called "home" though he could never consider it as such.  
  
"Sir?" called out a timid voice gently, the sound softly and barely reaching above a whisper.  
  
"What is it?" barked Tinokoto angrily, hating to be disturbed over some most likely useless problem. He sighed softly, his hard gaze moving to stare out of the large window in front of him. He was greeted by a seemingly beautiful landscape, the planet's life seeming to spread open it's arms in front of him, though Tinokoto did not heed any of its beauty. He didn't even care; his thoughts lingering elsewhere.  
  
He was thinking, thinking about that gaki Gohan and how miserable he was making him. He couldn't stand the boy, he was impossible to deal with, in Tinokoto's opinion at least. Tinokoto just wanted him dead. To finish this problem and for good. Tinokoto sighed softly, his breathe escaping between parted lips as his eyes stared out the window in front of him.  
  
"Um, sir?" the nervous voice sounded again, though a little louder as the android attempted to get Tinokoto's attention. A soft tap echoed through the metal walled room in which Tinotoko was standing in, a simple desk behind him and he himself standing in front of rather large window that showed Kinson's base in front of him. Dazo, the only other bio-android within the room, stared nervously toward Tinokoto. He wasn't all that afraid of Tinokoto like some of the other androids that didn't know him or work with him much, but it was the news he had to tell him that was bothering Dazo.   
  
'I'm a stupid messager boy, why the hell did I get picked to tell him?' thought Dazo angrily, not at all happy to be the one to tell Tinokoto that Son Gohan had escaped and was Kami knows where. They had just arrived on Mankin, so there was no telling where the stupid boy had gone to if he had actually managed to get off the ship.  
  
Dazo sighed, he didn't like this at all; he flew the Star Nova, he wasn't suppose to be delivering bad news to their commander. He sighed again when hew as simply ignored, his tongue moving to rub the back of his teeth as his blue eyes stared toward the face of his commander.  
  
Dazo's mouth opened to speak again, one hand moving up as if to gain Tinokoto's attention further.  
  
"What do you want? Spit it out already." barked Tinokoto angrily, his voice pitched with annoyance. His hands moved to clasp behind his back, his tail swaying gently behind him as one of his feet tapped impatiently against the solid surface, a small "click" ensuing with the motion. He turned around slowly, his blue eyes lingering toward the form of Dazo, the bio-android's arms held tightly to his sides and he kept himself erect possible so as not to show disrespect.  
  
Dazo looked toward his commander, his eyes staring forward even as he turned around from the window and actually acknowledged him. He sighed gently at the tone he received from trying to get the man's attention, knowing this wasn't going to be a good day at all. "Sir, the saiya-jin, Son Gohan, has been reported as having escaped. Jatshu, who was ordered..." Dazo's words trailed off as he saw the look written on Tinokoto's face. He winced just seeing the fierce gleam in the android's eyes. He sighed again, really believing what he had mused earlier.  
  
"Get him back..." spoke Tinokoto after a short pause, his voice etched with anger, his voice deeper than normal and much more menacing. His words seemed to be dripping, lolling out of the side of his mouth, in loathing toward the entire situation that had surely arrived.  
  
"But sir, how ar..." began Dazo slowly, unable continue as Tinokoto cut him short.  
  
"Just get him back. Don't let him leave this ship or I will personally kill the gaki and then the baka who let him escape." Said Tinokoto slowly, his voice more near calming though the look in his eyes completely lost any possibilities of sanity. He looked angry, no he looked pissed. By the way he swayed his tail, the gleam in his eyes, the look of hatred written across his featured. They all screamed one thing: death to anyone who dared defy him.  
  
Dazo gulped, nodding his head slowly before turning tail and moving to do the commander's orders, no questions asked. And quite frankly, he didn't want to be in the android's presence any longer than normal, especially when he was upset. Things die when Tinokoto's upset.  
  
Tinokoto turned swiftly back toward the large window in front of him, his blue eyes narrowed and his look foul. He wasn't at all happy with the news he had received, but this, at least, gave him a reason to punish the boy. Besides, of course, the reason that he just wanted to hurt the young saiya-jin.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The cling of chains sounded out through an empty corridor, Gohan trying profoundly to rid himself of the kami-damn things that were holding him at bay. The boy sighed softly, his breath escaping between parted lips as he pushed himself onward, forcing himself to continue no matter what.  
  
He was in a desperate tie about what to do, and most of all, where to go. He was sluggishly jogging down an empty corridor within the Star Nova, his feet sounding softly against the ground as he made his way along the path. He had no clue where he was going, he just knew he had to get out of this ship before it was too late. He was running on limited time and he didn't know how much longer he would have before he would be discovered...  
  
He winced.  
  
He didn't even want to think about what would happen if he was found. Most likely die, he mused to himself silently, hoping against hope that he would make it through this safety. He was at a deadly position that was turning into a quite horrible situation to say the least.  
  
Gohan sighed softly, his head shaking at his own thoughts. He definitely wasn't going to get anywhere if he didn't stop worrying and start trying to find a way out of this damnable ship. Tinokoto wasn't kidding, he had truly made his life hell and now it was only getting worse and worse.   
  
Pushing his thoughts away, Gohan once again forced himself to concentrate on the problem at hand. Why the hell was he having so much trouble just concentrating? wondered Gohan vainly, wishing he knew the answer to his question. This wasn't good at all, if he couldn't concentrate than how the hell did he even expect to get out this ship! Gohan sighed gently, his dark ebony eyes staring out at the way in front of him. He felt dreadfully lost and didn't like that fact at all. It was quite disturbing to say the least, though, he thought, perhaps he should be use to it by now. All his life he seemed to be lost in the mind in some way or another, so what was stopping it from happening again? Nothing, absolutely nothing. Gohan shook his head at his thoughts, he felt like he was turning on himself.  
  
His thoughts, however, were soon diverted when he heard a sound tap coming from behind him. He gulped, his eyes widening and his hands instinctively coming in front of him. Gohan's head turned slowly, raven strands rustling about his face as he looked in the area behind him, his sensitive ears picking up a gentle "tap" sound. His ears perked, one foot sliding back to steady himself and the other held slightly in front of him. He sighed softly when the gentle tap lessened and then suddenly stopped all together, whoever having been the cause of it seemingly left. Gohan's look faded slowly, his body moving to stand in a more natural position and his hands falling to his sides. He shook his head slowly, knowing he had to hurry or else someone else could come along again. And he knew he might not be so lucky as he had just been.  
  
"Who do we's got 'ere?" called out a voice behind Gohan, the boy's eyes widening and his heart seeming to catch in his chest. He let out a long breathe, his mouth slightly agasp and a pain-filled expression forming on his face as a long, thick tail moved to wrap tightly around his waist; his side burning intensely.  
  
Gohan's eyes narrowed, his lungs burning and his side screaming at him for relief. He took a swallow breathe, trying to ignore the feeling that had him so close to passing out...He could practically feel his vision slipping away and his life draining away. He suddenly realized what it was like to be a mouse when a python was trying to kill its prey. Though he knew it was probably all in his mind, that perhaps this android wasn't quite holding him as hard as he thought and it was just him hallucinating the whole feeling. Though it felt so real...  
  
Gohan winced, the burning feeling increasing still.  
  
He felt the small and almost familiar trickle of blood, something jabbing into him and piercing his flesh. It was a maddening feeling, but one nonetheless. His insides, the things keeping him alive where so close to being touched, torn away so easily and causing crimson blood to cascade down his side. The warm and slick substance, the very thing that ran through every person's veins and inside their flesh. It was a horrid feeling, to say the least, to think that you were dying...when in reality you were just warming up.  
  
The grip around Gohan's waist did not subside, a wicked grin spreading across the lips of his attacker, his look fierce and angry to the eye. Behind those piercing eyes was where Gohan was staring, his ebony eyes narrowed. His look was that of pure seriousness and distaste, his mind alive and flowing like a wild river out of control. The river seemed to wipe his sanity with it, taking away the very think that was keeping him in control. He was losing it, losing it as he had done so many times before.  
  
The feeling coursing through his body, Gohan knew it only too well. He was hurt, in pain and he couldn't take it anymore. He wanted it to stop, to just end. But above all else, he wanted to go home. To see his mother and brother again, hell Vegeta even at this rate. He had the uncanny feeling that he'd be joining his father soon in the afterlife, though that small voice in the back of his head was telling him to grap hold of that rage within himself and to let it go free.  
  
Just let go.  
  
The words rang through Gohan's mind, the sensation causing his head to spin. No, he couldn't. He didn't want to hurt anyone, he just wanted to go home. He wondered, in the vain of it all, if that was really too much to ask for.   
  
The tail around his waist tightened, the android holding himself around him beginning to speak to Gohan, though his words were deaf to the young saiya-jin's ears. He didn't care, he just wanted to be left alone.  
  
Then suddenly the pain seemed to leave him, his vision blacked and dazed over with an unnerving annoyance to Gohan.   
  
It was too much, Gohan had had too much.   
  
Then it all happened, he couldn't hold on any longer. His rage was let out.  
  
And with a scream of fury that quite clearly set his attacker off guard, Gohan reached out his hands, his fingers prying as deep as possible into the tail around his waist; the android's grip tightening instinctively. The bio-android sneered at the saiya-jin boy, his icy blue eyes narrowed and his hands reaching out to grab onto Gohan, though his attempt was merely batted away. The android's eyes suddenly widened and the boy grabbed back onto tail, prying the heavy silver plated tail from around his waist and then throwing it to the ground.  
  
Gohan didn't waste a moment, his body jumping into the air and his ki raising to keep him aloft so that he was more level with the easily 6'7" android. His dark eyes narrowed, one leg kicking out and connecting with the android's neck in a split second, the bio-android never even having a chance to react. The bulky body was sent into a near by wall, an instant indent forming in the solid wall as the android slumped to the ground, his eyes closed.  
  
Gohan didn't bother waiting to see if the android was killed, his head turning to stare in front of him as he took off at a run, unwilling to let himself be caught.  



	15. GJ - Part 15

Ok...I know its been way too long since my last chapter but HS has been really busy not to mention everything else I have to do besides writing. I really hate that I don't have much time to work on GJ though I'm just going to be cutting chapters smaller and hope to get them out sooner. It will probably be this way until Feburary when swimming season is over with and I don't have late practice, being that I'm on CHHS's high school swim team. Hope you all enjoy this chapter, gotta love rising action.  
  
  
Gohan's Journey  
Chapter XV  
  
A room masked with rugs and drapes of velvety red hung ominous in the air, the scarlet color sparkling with life and glittering in the reflection of light that bounced off it from the candles lit within the room. The floor was lined with rugs of various sizes, most taking up the complete space of the room and covering what would have been a purely steel-like metal ground. The lights were toned down low, couches with fluffy cushions resting in the middle of the huge room, a small glass table in the middle circle of furniture. All a scarlet red, the color of blood, of dawning.   
  
There was but one window within the room, a large window bigger than a human standing at their full height resting behind a steel desk with a glass top. The picture outside the view showed that of Mankin, the gentle blue grass swaying with a slivery ease in the fields stretched out in front of it. The sky chirped a gentle and humble tone, the peace and near serene terrain lost by all of the eyes that set put upon the grounds, the beauty of the world left untold and uncared for. Nevertheless delicate flowers bloomed and the wistful presence remained. Rock formations loomed in the distance and an unseen base to the right of the room, though it was intentionally blocked from the view. The sight was beautiful, amazing even, though totally ignored by the one person standing within the room.  
  
A man of average height stood off to the corner of the window, his thin hands clasped behind his back as the long fingers intertwined. He was clad in thick full length robes, the color dripping of scarlet as the thick robes trailed down to the ground, rustling gently with his movements, sigmas inscribed along the sides and showing an obvious important status to the person who wore them. The man seemed normal in every aspect, sleek strands of midnight black spiky hair resting atop his head, the strands cut short to provide better viewing without having the hair in his face and also maintaining and keeping their spikiness under control. The man loathed spiky hair, trying to rid himself of it as much as possible.  
  
A sigh rang between the man's parted lips, his hands slowly moving to intertwine behind his back and a saiyan-like tail swaying gently at his feet, the long tail reaching just below the ground where his leather calf high boots began at the heel. The brown tail twitched, the sensitive fur gently bristling and reading the man's emotions plainly before it moved up to curl around his waist and under the thick layer of rooms that was clad over his body. The man turned around slowly, piercing black eyes settling on the view in front of him; the empty room. Solitude. He loved it with passion. But of course, as many other people, he loved other things, though none more so than his life goal. Ah yes, the one which he would soon be able to fulfill if everything went his way. A smirk settled upon his lips, eyes narrowed slightly and his expression emotionless except for the betrayal of his giddiness to have his life dream come true. Oh yes, he knew this was going to be time indeed, and he couldn't wait for it to begin. He was only missing one element, his smirk fastly forming into a grin since he knew things were looking his way. That element, that one element, was on its way and would be here soon enough, he mused to himself softly, reassuring his mind that his goals would soon be sated.  
  
Laughing filled the blank scarlet room, the sound gently bouncing off the walls as the menacing laugh echoed on and slowly died away. "How completely wonderful," said the man slowly, moving to sit in the desk in front of him, his tail moving to rest in his lap as he reached down a hand to slowly stroke the brown fur, a purr resounding in his throat at the light touch on the sensitive skin underneath the fur. His mind drifted to that of the future. The glorious future that would be his forever...he just needed to do one thing. One thing and everything would be his.   
  
He laughed again, though this time at the fate of the future. He would rule it, he would have his revenge and fulfil his wishes.  
  
His laugher slowly died down to a chuckle, a hand moving to rest on his chest as he breathed deeply, trying to catch this breathe. "Absolutely wonderful," he repeated slowly, a wicked smile spreading across his lips, lost in the seer pleasure of being able to fulfill the one thing he had always wanted to accomplish throughout his life. It was a glorious feeling, to know that the fate that had always been reserved for you was about to occur while you were able to have revenge at the same time. To be able to live with the fact that knowing everything you ever wanted to come true was about to occur was maddening, though now, in the dawn of his reminiscing, this man knew things were coming to their wane and that soon he would have everything he wanted.  
  
He let out a deep, content, breathe, his smile still lingering across his pale lips. He smiled genuinely, a deep chuckle in the back of his throat. Nothing could ruin his plans now...well almost nothing.  
  
  
  
  
  
It hurt, it hurt a lot. The gentle sway of slender hips, the slight favoring of a left leg and the small amount of scarlet just barely soaking through the fabric of an orange gi. The cling and clang of chains as they rustled together, the sound annoying the sensitive ears of a saiya-jin boy desperate to relieve the pain shooting through his body. His moments were fast, too fast for his likings with his side aching and his head in a whirl. Gohan took a deep rattling breathe, his dark ebony eyes staring in front of him like coals in the already dark shadows.   
  
Darkness loomed through the corridors and hallways he had been jogging through, the places easily made for a trap. A trap for him. Son Gohan, boy wonder, who was currently being chased through an unknown ship, for reasons unknown to himself. He still didn't get this; it was just too confusing. It didn't make sense; nothing seemed to fit together. The few bits and pieces of things he had found out were nothing but what they seemed to be: bit and pieces of nothing. They didn't connect, no logical meanings behind them. Hell, even the reason why Tinokoto seemed to hate him so much and want to cause him so much pain didn't fit together.  
  
Gohan sighed deeply, his chest heaving, as he pushed the thoughts away. No time to stop and contemplate, have to keep going, he told himself quietly, his strides off and his balance screwed up. He cringed, trying to smooth out the pain coursing through his body and give himself a little relief, though the thought of such a thing seemed least likely in many cases. He was wounded, thinking perhaps he had pulled the stitches that the doctor of this place had done. They were done badly anyway, mused Gohan quietly, knowing he could have accomplished it at least a little better if he were given the tools. He sighed again, hoping against hope that the pain would stop and he was would be relieved of his pain.  
  
Ever since he had been in this blasted ship for kami knows how long, the only relief he had had from his suffering was through sleep, which was even then interrupted in some way or another. He was glad, nonetheless, that he didn't have anyone see him in his current form. Oh how he could see that smirk of Vegeta's spreading across his lips as he noted with cool satisfaction the unholy bad way he had been treated. He didn't really resent Vegeta that much, he actually respected him, he knew it was the headache making him seem this way. Yes, just the headache, he thought to himself, his head shaking as if it would provide some sort of relief.  
  
The path in front of him winded onward, one way only, no turns being seen since he had left his cell and ventured down the corridor. It hadn't been an easy choice, to pick the left or the right once he had been free. No, not at all. Actually it had been quite difficult, Gohan trying in vain to recall what direction he come to the place in. He'd only been out of his cell a grand total of two or three times, great job trying to remember from that when his mind was already in a hubbub.   
  
He shook his head again, this time more vigorously, raven strands flying about his face as he tried to concentrate. It wasn't easy and he was having a difficult time with it. He didn't even understand why, but he figured it to be better than that, just shrugging off the thoughts and trying to concentrate on finding a way out of this place at the very least.  
  
He trudged onward nonetheless, his coal black eyes suddenly taking notice of the scenery change around him. The hallway was beginning to split into alternate pathways every few feet, rooms and doors inbetween every place between alternate pathways, whatever lurking behind the ominous doors left blank by a blanket of strong metal. Not that Gohan had any intention whatsoever of trying to get through one of the doors, he wasn't about to try and commit suicide when there was a lovely and quite vacant pathway in front of him. Gohan's strides slowed nonetheless, his ears perked and listening intently to the sounds echoing off in the distance around him. He was obviously getting closer to other androids or people, that much was obvious. But with that also meant he was probably getting closer to the top of the ship as well.  
  
Gohan gulped, taking one deep and straddling breathe before beginning on his way again, though now at a walk, his senses alert and careful. He didn't know why, but he was beginning to have a sinking feeling in his chest, his mind alerting him to some danger up ahead, though the younger saiya-jin, befuddled, continued onward.  
  
  
  
  
  
Tinokoto shifted the duel belts slung crossly around his waist, the belts holding important necessities such as communications, explosives, transmitters, anything a bio-android could ever want or need. They were all little devices that served an important purpose, none without a meaning or reason behind them being present and their performances that as suited for the person handling them. They were all kept as small as possible though big enough to be handled by the sometimes rather large hands of the androids, few having troubles and most quite pleased with their devices.  
  
He shifted uneasily, straightening out the belt once again so that it was comfortable, his tail swaying effortlessly through the air behind him and his eyes glued to the screens in front of him. He stood, calmly for the most part, with his arms crossed loosely across his chest, his icy blue eyes staring at the screens in front of him. He stood within the Nova Star's control area, video cameras monitoring the entire ship, though the only thing that interested him at the moment was finding the saiya-jin brat who dared to even think of escape. He sneered, lightly and menacingly, his voice dripping with hatred that seemed to file through the very cracks of his teeth and set his face on fire.  
  
"Uh, sir, I think we found him..." called out a timid voice gently.  
  
Tinokoto broke his train of thought as he heard the android sitting at the table in front of the screen motion toward one of the screens. The bio-android's eyes narrowed slightly, his nose wrinkling up as he looked at the sight of a boy walking along the corridors on the mid level of the ship. He cursed lightly and suddenly under his breathe, his nerves on edge. "How the hell did that gaki manage to get there?" he barked the question to himself, his teeth bared and slight fangs gracing his dark blue tinted lips.  
  
He sighed deeply, his tail swaying with anxiousness behind him. He knew exactly how the boy had made it to where he had, it was obvious. The lower levels of the Star Nova were connected to the mid level, making walking to the lower levels easier and more excessible than having to use an lift to get to the upper levels. All the brat had to do was go down the right path, stay on it, and he would find himself a level up. He doubted the boy even realized this at the time. Tinokoto shook his head slowly, throwing off whatever words the android at the table was mumbling toward him nonchalantly. "I want people put on the lift to the upper level and then send the rest of the squad that didn't make the mistake of getting off of this ship put after that boy and also on the surrounding hallways. Send them from behind him and in front. And he better not get away or this will be on all of your heads." Uttered Tinokoto ominous, the android sitting at the screen nodding his head vigorously as his tail swayed nervously behind him.  
  
"Ye-yes, sir. Will do." He said quickly, very quickly actually.  
  
Tinokoto smiled, the look devilish on his features. "Good," he muttered harshly before turning around and heading out of the room, his long thick tail swaying gently behind him.   
  
The android at the table let out a deep breathe as Tinokoto left, turning his attention to the screens around him as he moved a communicator to his mouth, the small thin piece setting around the base of his head and resting in an easy, yet out of the way, area. "Orders from Tinokoto: I want four androids put on the upper stairwell leading to the higher decks. The others are to meet and split into two groups, one heading for sector #34 and the other to sector #78. Both should meet up at sector #58. Leave immediately and do not fail." Commanded the android emotionlessly to the others, his voice going only to the small communicator on each android's belt.  
  
  
  
  
  
Small creatures, their heights barely reaching 4'8" in size scurried outside of the Star Nova. Their wide, beady black eyes lined with dark blue sparkles, stared thoughtfully around them, the gentle padding of their small feet barely echoing against the ground. Strands of different colored hair, some red, blue, white, tan and many other variables, bobbed atop their heads in small, shubby, strands. Their small and thin wrists were clad with metal wristbands, the gentle cling of chains dancing into Gohan's ears.   
  
The boy's walkings had come to almost an immediate stop, his attention diverting toward the noises lurking in the distance and the possible threat that accompanied them. "Don't I ever get a break," the boy muttered gently under his breath, wondering if fate really didn't want him to survive through this whole ordeal. Shaking his head, strands of raven colored hair rustling about his face, Gohan pushed the thoughts away, knowing he would have to go some other direction if he had any hopes of getting off the ship without getting himself noticed or caught. As far as he knew no one knew he was gone and that was exactly how he wanted it to be seen. 'The element of surprise,' he mused, 'is the key to all victories' he stated to himself softly, the words of his father sticking into his mind and causing him to rethink his entire plan, though he never really had had one in the first place. He had always figured he would just try to go off of the planet as soon as possible, but so far that wasn't looking too good.   
  
He sighed, pushing the thoughts away as he looked for an alternate way of getting out of this place. "If only I had a map..." his words trailed off as a small beep entered the room, his eyebrows arching and a surprised expression forming across his young features when a small panel appeared out of the wall to his right. He tilted his head at the device, slowly and carefully walking over to it as he watched a screen flash to life on it. He quickly scanned over it, soon taking notice that it was indeed some sort of map of the place, apparently voice actived from the way that it had appeared. He murmured under his breathe softly about this probably being his luckiest break in weeks as he quickly voomed over the layout, his mind quickly scanning and processing the entire map into his mind, almost as if it were a blueprint in his mind.  
  
The young saiyan boy, too intrigued with the layout and the protest of finding a way out, barely seemed to notice the figures that were soon enclosing around him.  
  
To be continued...  



	16. GJ - Part 16

Gohan's Journey   
Chapter XVI   
  
Gohan didn't have but a moment, the gentle 'cling' of a footstep alerting him to the presence of the bio-androids. His ears seemed to perk, twitching almost invisibly as he turned his head behind him, raven strands rustling gently against his head. "What the..." he began slowly, never finishing his questioning statement as a huge fist came ramming out in his direction, his head ducking instinctively as he crouched down. He winced in pain as his side began to burn, the flesh tearing, though he tried to ignore and block the pain as much as possible, lashing his leg out to bring the large android down and his body leaping forward to follow the movement with a punch. His attention immediately turned to the other androids that were quickly beginning after him even as his fist connected with the bulky flesh of the other android, his teeth clenching as he ended the force of the punch early to jump away from a set of arms reaching out to claim him. "Shimatta...I must have been seen." He stated under his breath, his heart pumping a mile a minute and his head seeming to spin.   
  
Dizziness swept through Gohan's conscious as he quickly assessed the situation. He was surrounded on all sides, enclosed around steel ways with huge androids blocking all the hallways. It seemed like a trap with no way out, his ebony eyes narrowing since he knew a fight would be the only way to end this struggle. "Oh Kami please just let me get out of here and home." He muttered softly, his eyes closing for a painful moment before they slowly opened and he rushed head long into a brutal fight with the androids, fighting for a position of freedom at what lay behind the doors of the ship.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
A rattled breathe fell between Vegeta's lips, the Saiyan Prince's gaze shifting to stare at Bulma as the woman showed sat on the couch, her legs crossed and her hands resting in her lap. He leaned against the wall on the far side of the room, arms folded over a well muscled chest and gloved fingers clenched into a fist. A glare settled into his line of sight, dark eyes narrowing and an impatient aura floating about his being. "How much longer is this going to take? I don't have forever." Muttered the Saiyan angrily, really quite ticked off that it was taking so long for Bulma to talk to Piccolo about plans about how they were going to find Gohan. They had eventually decided to use one of Bulma's old model spaceships to get to the boy, though the thought of how they expected to find him never seemed to cross either's mind, at least until Vegeta had spoken up.   
  
Bulma sighed softly, shaking her head at Vegeta's pompous behavior, strands of blue hair gently bouncing against her cheeks with the movement. "Sheesh Vegeta, if you have any bright ideas than why don't you speak up?" retorted the woman with an equal tone, receiving a snort from the Prince which merely caused her to nod her head in dominance of over her out talking him for the time being.   
  
"Whatever, I'm not the one with the science degree."   
  
"Oh just shut up." muttered Bulma with a wave of her hand toward the Prince, who smirked in reply before settling back into the revivine of his thoughts. Bulma sighed softly, turning her attention back to the tall Namkian that was sitting across from her. "Okay, back to work...Don't you have some sort of connection you can use to find Gohan? Its not like we keep a tracker on him or anything." She started slowly, knowing that unless they figured out something soon that they were basically screwed with no way to find Gohan.   
  
Piccolo shook his head slowly at Bulma's suggestion, knowing the only link he ever had whatsoever with the boy, or anyone else for that matter, was through telepathic communication, which he basically possessed with anyone that he wanted to. "Only for telepathic communication and he's too far away to try it." Stated the Namek simply, not bothering to waste their time thinking over something that would more than likely be wrong anyway. His clothes rustled gently as he shifted in his position, his fingers intertwining as they clasped together and rested on one of his knees.   
  
Bulma looked thoughtful for a moment as she thought over what Piccolo had said, her eyebrows quirking slightly to look at him after a moment. She smiled suddenly, one of her hands moving up brush strands of blue hair behind her ears. "I think I may have figured out a way to solve our problem." She stated seriously, her eyes bright and shimmering with the hope that she had managed to come up with a way to help them find Gohan.   
  
Vegeta suddenly turned his attention toward the conversation when he heard Bulma had a possible plan, his eyebrows arching slightly as he moved his head to look toward her. "Well what is it, woman?" he questioned her, his voice dripping with an arrogant and harsh after tone, the man really just wanting to figure out how to find a way to the boy so that they could leave and get this over with. His chest fell in a deep sigh, really wishing he didn't have to deal with finding Gohan before he would have a chance to fight these bio-androids, since that was his real only reason for even bothering with the whole situation and tolerating being with Bulma and Piccolo for so long when he was so annoyed.   
  
Piccolo nodded his head slowly toward Bulma, beckoning her to continue and explain now that Vegeta had shut up. He looked at her hopefully, wanting just as bad as Vegeta to find a way to find Gohan, though he had no intentions whatsoever of getting in a fight with the androids unless he had to. He sighed softly, knowing that it was much more than likely that it was going to happen, especially with the train of thought that he was picking up from Vegeta, which really worried his ever-thinking mind.   
  
An unintentional smile fitting onto Bulma's lips as she simply stood and motioned the men toward the doorway to her lap, the gentle tap of her shoes ringing into the two's ears as she began to walk for the entranceway. "Come and I'll show you." Said the woman softly before opening the door and steps down the stairs that lead to her maze of a lab. The room was an elaborate design of tables with various projects lifted atop their hard steel tops, mechanical pieces lining the walls and wires seeping from various points. Computers and other electronical devices had their own cover, the gentle beeps of their working processors and monitors giving flicks and clicks every now and then to alert the woman to their working nature. Stacks upon stacks of papers fell onto another table, various pieces of data lining their fine thin sheets in chastened fine black ink, its midnight cover penetrating over the clear and pure sheets.   
  
Reaching out a hand to casually flip a switch, Bulma's delicate fingers brought the room to life as light flooded through the room and brought into view all the contraptions that she had gathered together. Through a cocky red painted smile, Bulma's blue eyes turned toward the way in front of her, her hair flying through the air behind her with the movements as her hips swung with her motion.   
Piccolo's chest fell in a deep sigh as he stood up slowly, his cape rustling gently at his ankles as he began to follow after Bulma, Vegeta quick to follow on his heels, the Prince's curiosity perked over what Bulma had in mind with her wicked little mind of her's. "What is this plan of your's?" he questioned once they were inside the lab, the creak of the door closing behind them causing the Saiya-jin Prince to glance over his shoulder for a brief moment.   
  
A smirk moved to claim Bulma's lips as she brought a hand in front of her, her palm sweeping outward to motion toward one of the tables that held a rather large and cap-looking device. "This," she started slowly, her voice taking on a serious and scientific tone that she used when giving presentations and examples. "is my latest project. Using your telepathic abilities I'm going to send a frequency through the universe and to Gohan's wave link. By doing this it should give us a location point as to where he is at." Stated the woman softly, a proud smile falling onto her lips despite the skeptical looks she received from the two warriors. "I don't why I didn't think to use this sooner, its really a great idea." She finished softly, moving over to the table with the turn of her hips and the shifting of her clothing.   
  
Her hands moved out to gently clasp atop of the mechanical device, the bright lines of wires caressing its surface with a black clasp top shaped much to the fashion of a baseball cap. A long and thick black cord led from the top of the device and connected into a computer monitor where it would collect any data received from the usage of the project, Bulma's delicate fingers gently running over its smooth surface as her bright and clear blue eyes scanned over the surface to check for any signs of damage. "It should work beautifully," she breathed out softly once she was done inspecting the instrument, her ever present smile still plastered to her lips. "Care to give it a try Piccolo?" she questioned gently toward the Namek, one of her hands reaching down to pat a near by chair where the taller man could sit while she would fit it into place.   
  
Piccolo sighed reluctantly, his breath falling between daunted lips as he nodded his head slowly to Bulma. "Fine, I'll try it." He stated simply, his hands reaching up to remove his turban from his head, the tapping of his shoes against the solid hard floor underneath him sounding as he moved to the indicated seat and unceremoniously sat down. His arms slowly folded across his chest as he snorted, hoping for their own stake that this would really work and that he wasn't just making himself into a guinea pig for one of Bulma's experiments, which was something he really didn't want to happen.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
Gohan felt as his jaw was smacked cleanly by the edge of a hard, clawed fist, flesh cuts reopening as raven strands gently shifted above a boy's head. His head fell back to lighten the blow, the jerk sending a crack through his shoulders and causing his body to tremble for a tentative moment. A soft whimper of pain fell between the boy's bloodstained lips, a cough of pure crimson falling between the crusted and worn pieces of tissue, dry and tender due to a lack of liquid.   
  
The boy's ebony eyes shifted to look toward the nearest android by him, the big hulk of a man turning to face him a smirk, fists clenched and his long tail twitching gently behind him as the steel-plated tip clang ever time it neatly tapped against the surface of the floor. "Ready to give up yet?" questioned the bio-android mockingly, giving an amused tilt to his head as the folds of his skin creased to one of concentration and readiness for whatever the boy had in mind to try again. He was surrounded by all sides, having managed to be blocked into a corner by misjudgment, which had flung him into a quite horrible predicament.   
  
Clenching his teeth tightly together, Gohan shook his head at the android, a growl resounding off of the young boy's lips as he backed himself against the wall, the cool chill of the surface causing his body to tremble. He clenched his fingers into tight fists, his torn body limped slightly as he favored his right side. The deep cut on his side had been torn open, causing a damped red to appear through his gi top. "I'm never going to make it at this rate." Murmured the boy softly under his breath, his raspy pants echoing through the steel room as his obsidian eyes narrowed on the sight of the androids.   
  
He breathed deeply, his lungs savoring the sweet and irony oxygen that streamed through his body, replenishing his nerves and calming his trembling form. Gohan slowly moved his legs to part ever so slightly, his feet seeming to cling to unknown holds within the ground as he clenched his fingers into tight fists, crimson blood streaming through their tight hold and cascading along the tense curves of his muscles. His ki seemed to flicker around his body, his spiky raven strands beginning to sway madly about his head in a wild tango, his eyes seeming to darken as he tried to concentrate with what nerve he still had left. "C'mon Gohan...just have to get through this and everything will fine." He tried to reassure him softly, his voice barely even penetrating his own sensitive and feline-like hearing.   
  
And in an instant his voice erupted in a loud scream as his chapped lips parted. His ink-black strands danced wildly above his head before striking to a brilliant golden blonde that seemed to lullmate the room, bringing the darkness into the shimmering light. His obsidian eyes blinked close for the briefest moment before they opened, their aqua depth staring squarely at the androids that at taken the opportunity to gather around him. Though their try was useless, being hurled through the air and mashed against the hard surface of the walls by the boy's mere power. However, Gohan seemed unconcerned with the change of developments, not wasting the moment of weakness to continue the battle further when he knew he needed to flee if he had any chances of getting himself out of the contradicting situation that he was stuck in.   
  
The cling and clang of his feet hit gently against the steel surface rang though the hallways and room, bringing to notice his presence to all as the young youth fled to free himself of the confines that he was trapped in. He wanted nothing else than to be free of instrument of sure capture, this ship that he knew nothing about and that would surely be his downfall if he was not careful. He knew more than well that being stuck in this place was just a recapture waiting to happen, something he really didn't want to have to deal with at the moment since he doubted he would be able to escape again this time.   
  
His brightly shining hair moved gently above his head as he cocked his head to the side in amidst of his running, turning his head to chance small grimaces over his shoulder or to his sides. He could practically feel the ki of some truly horrible gathering closer and closer on him, something he really didn't like and had him trembly worried.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
Piccolo's eyebrow ridges furrowed together as Bulma gingerly began hooking up wires into the device she had created, several wires fitting smugly onto his bald head that were meant to work a connection between himself and Bulma's machine. All the while, and much to the Namek's distaste, Vegeta could be heard in the background with a sneering chuckle for the man's situation. "This is a pathetic idea, how can you possibly believe that this will work." Vegeta stated rather than asked, a cool and confident smile settling onto his lips as he looked toward the two from the opposite end of the room, his hands folded across his chest and body leaning against the wall in his normal stance of defiance.   
  
Bulma snorted softly toward Vegeta, shaking her head at the pompous Prince as she went about her work of fitting the device into place and onto Piccolo. "You just watch Mr. I-Could-Do-Better." She stated matter-o-factly, flashing the man a challenging smirk which he merely threw off with a bat of his hand a snorted "whateve" under his breath. "That's what I thought, now just shut up so this can work." She chided toward the man softly before beginning to finish placing all of the switches and wires connected to the almost baseball cap-like contraption.   
  
"Both of you just be quiet, this is for Gohan, remember." Growled out Piccolo warningly toward the two arguing couple, really not in the mood to deal with their constant bittering at the moment. He sighed gently as Bulma nodded her head slowly in agreement with his words before the woman placed the last wire securely into place with a small snap into the cap upon Piccolo's headgear. "Okay Piccolo, now just concentrate on Gohan and his ki then hopefully this thing will work and we'll be able to find. Its kinda like the dragon-radar in a way, you just need to try and make as much of a connection for it as possible." Said Bulma softly, her voice dancing into Piccolo's sensitive and sharp ears as he nodded his head ever-so-slightly.   
  
There was a brief silence within the room as Piccolo slowly began to close his eyes and establish some sort of connection with the lost and alone youth that they were searching for. The only noise to fill into the void of silence was the gentle humming of machines as Bulma's machine began searching for a form of connection between Piccolo and Gohan, which Bulma hoped to establish due to the fact that both Nameks and Saiya-jins had at least small telepathic abilities, and thus connections with other telepaths.   
  
Bulma blue eyes slowly blinked as her fingers moved to rest over the familiar shape of a keyboard, her fingertips clicking softly into the silence as she went about helping the computer on its quest to try and search through Piccolo's electronical brain waves in hopes of storing a connection to Gohan in one of those. Her head began to chant to the side as a small beeping sound rang through the room, strands of her bright blue hair falling against the sides of her face as she stared thoughtful in the screen in front of her. She reached up a hand slowly, wiping the strands out of her face and behind her ears with a sweep of her hand, before her hands left the keyboard all together. She paused briefly, staring between Piccolo and Vegeta, the Namek already beginning to pull out of his concentrative state when he had heard the woman's movements.   
  
"Well...?" broke out Vegeta into the silence, never one to want to wait for all the tension of the moment to leave before someone would speak.   
  
Bulma shook her head slowly at Vegeta, a gentle smile fitting onto her lips as she looked toward him before flashing a victory "V" in their direction. "Jackpot, it was able to establish the exact location where Gohan is at!" chirped out the woman happily, a large smile settling onto her features since she knew that Piccolo and Vegeta would be able to help Gohan now and he wouldn't be lost like countless others that had lost their lives too soon. 


	17. GJ - Part 17

Author's Notes: This chapter needs a lot of work, I know. I really just wanted to get it out here, however, since it's been forever since I last updated GJ. I'll get better about it soon, I promise. I'll probably end up rewriting this one eventually, just give me a little time.

**Gohan's Journey**

Chapter 17 

Gohan had never imagined things would turn out this way. Sure, he figured he would get free, figure out that he was on some planet with no way out and then probably end up running away from where-ever the heck he was and hopefully find some ship to use to get back to his home. But of course, being these his hopeless and desperate thoughts, they weren't meant to be. It was surprising really, to the youth, to be caught quite easily and quickly after his escape. He hadn't even managed to make it outside the ship before he had found himself cornered and blocked with no way out. The bio-androids knew his tricks now and his well of ideas was running low.

He had thought at that moment that things couldn't get much worse. Oh how wrong he felt now seemed incomparable to those mere memories that flickered through his mind. He'd been cornered, no way out, getting beaten to a bloody plump. Kami, he could have sworn that two or three of his ribs had been cracked, if not shattered under the tremendous amount of venegence they seemed to pack into each of their blows. He had felt like he couldn't breath, his breath falling from his chest and his face wanting to turn blue from the lack of oxygen that just seemed unable to find its way to his lungs. And that was only the tip of the ice-burg. It got worse, though most of it was a painful blank memory for Gohan and he was almost thankful for that thought. 

Once the bio-androids had pounded him to the point where he couldn't even seem to register his own name into his own mind, his head on the edge of collapsing on him and leaving him in a sea of darkness, they finally stopped. The pain still lingered, throbbing and pitching, the swelling already beginning to take place and flesh purpling over already ripe areas from previous wounds. And for some reason he just knew he wasn't going to get the fortune of being able to be graced by a doctor's presence, at least not soon and probably not before he died. Because Kami did he felt like he was dying, slowly slipping away into the darkness and his fingers just out of the grasp of the thin line between the living and the dead. But he held on, surprising to himself, but the hold just seemed so weak. So very fragile and almost as if it could collapse at any moment. Gohan wouldn't blame it if he did let go, and any second, because he felt like crap and he just wanted it to end. And as far as he was concerned, sooner was better than later.

"Get him cleaned up, Dr. Kinson will not be seen in such a presence of a slob. Get him showered and changed into fresh clothing and then bring him to me."

The voice barely seemed to penetrate through Gohan's seeming busted eardrums, though a soft sound ringing into through his mind told him it was Tinokoto. The man seem to pity him and he doubted there was no reason to. He probably looked a lot worse than he felt and he felt pretty damn bad.

But the words left his subconscious as quickly as they had come, the fleeting sound fading back into his clouded and dark mind with the rest of his life and memories. Where had they all gone? He seemed to wonder the question, his head spinning and providing him with no clear answer. He groaned softly and lightly as he was yanked to the side and made to walk on his own two feet, though they didn't really seem like they were his own. He didn't even seem to feel himself moving them, like he was just a being that was being pulled along by someone else's accord. But Gohan wasn't worried about that thought at the moment, more along the line of how the heck he was going to keep himself from passing out along the way. The darkness was just so tempting to his young mind and he didn't want to think of what may lay ahead whether he choose to follow the way of darkness or live the way of light.

Dr. Kinson paced anxiously about his elaborately decorated room, his black eyes transfixed into a pensive state and his mind drifting to the nullness of fantasy and illusion that companied his thoughts of finally putting his master plans into motion. He was almost there, just a few more steps and he would be able to get his revenge and get what he wanted in the process. A smile flickered onto Dr. Kinson's pale lips with the glimpse of a thought, his mood lightening and seeming to get even better than it had been when he had found out that they had managed to recapture Son Gohan. He was more than thrilled with the results, though he knew they would have eventually managed to find the boy eitherway. Afterall, this large base was on the only thing on this planet anyway.

Mankin had once been a heavily populated area until Dr. Kinson had arrived with his bio-androids. He had made sure to quite clearly whip out the population, kill everyone off, though not before he had them build him a huge base in which to use to conduct his operations and plans. Of course, once he had finished them, Dr. Kinson had made sure to destroy them all so that he and his company of bio-androids and helpers were the only ones living on the planet.

Dr. Kinson's darkened gaze moved up to stare toward the doorway as a knock came resounding through his thoughts. "Come in," he beckoned simply, the shifting of his thick robes heard as he turned and moved to head toward his large and long desk that sat in front of a large window. He sat down unceremoniously, his hands moving to pull the fabric of his thick robes into a more comfortable position as his eyes watched Tinokoto enter into the room. "I hope for your sake that you bring good news." Came Dr. Kinson's voice coldly, not in the mood to have his good mood dampered by bad news from one of his "better" bio-androids. 

"The boy will be ready to meet with you within the hour, Sir."

"Good…That's the type of news I like to here, Tinokoto. Is that all?" questioned Dr. Kinson as he watched the large and bulky android shift almost nervous under his dark gaze. He quirked a thin and curious eyebrow, waiting for a patient moment to see if the other was just going to spill the beans and tell him what the heck was going on or if he was going to have to pry the information from his hands with force. "Tinokoto…What's on your mind?" He asked more forcefully this time, more inclined with the latter when the man did not speak up after his moment's coaxing. Besides, wheedling the information out of someone was more fun sometimes. At least when you had someone like Tinokoto with you who seemed as hard as stone, though his mind was a complete mess. It wouldn't seem as so at first glance, though Dr. Kinson knew better than that. He knew Tinokoto had once had a virus within his system's modem that had almost permently screwed him up royally, though thanks to him Tinokoto was spared and able to continue functioning, just with a not to judgmental mind.

Dr. Kinson chuckled with the thoughts. He sometimes wondered why he even bothered to give the man such a high rank with his obvious defect. He blinked for a moment, remembering that Tinokoto could have quite a forceful character and undetermined loyalty, which was the real reason behind his status. Though there was one other that would always be above him despite all the other's tries. Jatshu was one in a million and there'd never be an android quite like him. He was perfect in every way, shape, or form; practically unbeatable and definitely a killer in every other aspect.

He leaned back in his seat in a respite decline, his mind swinging from thoughts of Jatshu to more mundane things and problem. He dejectedly sighed in a evincely shown mien, whisping out a hand as if to rescind with his wearisome problems that lied in his thoughts. He was more adapt to vindicating his problems to other people or things but being in a suddenly vitriolic mood changed his sway of mind. He wanted to see Son Gohan now and it was starting to drive him mad.

"Soon, not much longer now." Came his chilling voice as he began to devise his scheme that lay ahead and as he had done countless over the last few days. He was estatic about the event, that much was for certain.

Before he even dared to open his eyes Gohan knew he wasn't going to be happy with the sight. The first sign had been easy to recognize; a throbbing headache and a body feeling so bruised that he could have sworn he'd died and had been reincarnated as a squished fruit. Though that wasn't the only thing that lead to Gohan's conclusion, the talking of hushed voices around him was enough to secure his thoughts into believing that he wasn't somewhere that he wanted be; those voices weren't familiar and that was enough to let him no that the dream he had hoped he was having was instead real. A rattled breath fell from Gohan's lips with the thought, his ears absently catching onto words and phrasing coming from the near by conversation, though he really pay too much attention to it, instead hoping that if he just kept his eyes closed he'd fall asleep some more. Sleep seemed like a better idea to him than feeling down and depressed over a hopeless situation. He knew if he was locked inside some room that they wouldn't give him the chance to get out this time and he didn't even want to think about what his punishment was going to be, something he knew was going to happen, he had just done too much to get out of it this time.

"When he wakes up Dr. Kinson wants us to take him to see him." Chirped a light voice within the small and whispery conversation going on between several unseen people. This statement alone was enough to wake Gohan from the recesses of his mind the moment he heard the voice speaking. He had always wondered just who in the hell wanted him so badly and why, and now suddenly it seemed as if he may find an answer.

Gohan's eyes threw up in a sudden black haze, his gaze shifting around a small carpeted room as he began to push himself from the ground that he had been laid down upon. The room itself was small in size but definitely not a prison. There was a couch off to the side, a window in the corner that let the shining sky into the room, and even a desk out in the far corner with some books atop of it. In all honesty it looked as if it were a bedroom, minus the bed, or at least some sort of small waiting room. The sight of the place had Gohan utterly confused. He didn't understand why they were treating him so well as put him in such a nice place when compared to where he had been sleeping the last few days abroad the Nova Star. 

"This is weird." He murmured softly under his breath, though he wasn't left with the chance to continue his aloud thinking when a gentle rasping came from the door across from him before it slowly opened. He blinked his ebony eyes as a small creature that barely reached 5'1" with light blue skin and spiky orange hair that ran down its head like a moe-hawk walked into the room. The small being gave him a genuine smile before moving into the room and extending one hand.

"Hello, I'm Acadia. Nice to meet you." Chirped the small being with an obvious feminine voice before tilting her head at Gohan when the boy gave her an obviously confused yet curious expression. "I'm Furur-jin in case you're wondering." Stated Acadia with a small chuckle. "Come on, we have to get you cleaned up, you're filthy!" she added with noted sarcasm as she reached out to grasp Gohan's hand and tug him into a standing position. The boy, much taller in height then Acadia, towered over the Furur-jin as he stood and followed behind when she began leading him from the door.

"I take it back. This is _really_ weird." He stated to himself softly, making sure to speak quiet enough however that Acadia wouldn't happen to overhear him. "Where are we going and where are the bio-android?" he questioned her softly as he followed her and a group of other Furur-jin that had joined them on their way down the hallway. They seemed to have been the people that were talking earlier, though Gohan really wasn't paying very much attention to that at the moment since he was more concerned with keeping up with the short race of people with his aching body rather than who he had heard talking.

"We're going to get you washed and cleaned up before you go meet Dr. Kinson. And if you're still hurt then we'll get you healed too, but don't worry about the bio-androids. They don't hang around this side of the complex." Stated Acadia about the giggles that the other Furur-jin were uttering as they looked up at him with wide bright blue eyes. All the Furur-jin seemed close in appearance with little difference and Gohan was really having trouble telling which one was Acadia even with the small group of maybe only 6 Furur-jin around him.

Gohan sighed softly, nodded his head slowly as he gave up trying to figure out which one of them was Acadia. "Okay," he stated simply. He wasn't even going to bother getting away again, somehow just knowing that it wasn't going to work and he was actually kind of curious to meet this Dr. Kinson. He knew that just had to be the person who wanted him and he knew he was more than ready to figure just what that madman wanted that he would go to such lengths just to get him.

The small group of Furur-jin had done a good job in caring for Gohan and his aching body. Leading the boy down to the healing chambers another Furur-jin named Ferran healed his body by giving the boy excess ki participles in order for his body to have more than enough excess ki to heal himself. Gohan was more than astonished by the man's abilities since it had felt as if he was given a senzu bean; all of this aches and pains vanishing within moments of the transfer. 

But that was not the only thing the Furur-jin had in mind for Gohan to do. After a long voyage in a smelly cell all of the little blue females agreed that Gohan was in great need of a bath. Having led the boy to a large and elaborate room, Gohan was given the opportunity to take a bath while they gave him new clothes since his other ones were but mere spreads after the long days and nights he had been forced into wearing them. Gohan was more than glad by the time he had finished, glad to know he was clean and that he had new clothes despite the fact that he thought the multi-blue colored outfit was rather odd looking, but it was worth wearing if it meant it was clean.

"Gohan?"

Looking up from his inspection of his new outfit in the mirror, Gohan glanced toward Acadia as the girl looked at him expectantly. "Yes?" he beckoned her softly as he moved across the room to meet her by the front door. "Time to go I'm guessing." He stated rather asked, having already guessed the answer and not in the least surprised by the rapid nodding of Acadia's head. 

"Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. Come on, lets get going, I don't want to keep my 'host' waiting." Stated Gohan with a rather dejected sigh. It had felt so good getting clean and warm again in new clothes and the fact that he hadn't been around any bio-androids only made him feel better. But the fact remained that he was just about to walk in the room with the head of this whole operation, something he wasn't entirely sure he would ever be ready for.

"Alright, let's go. Just follow." Chirped Acadia lightly before she walked out of the room with Gohan in tow.


	18. GJ - Part 18

Author's Notes: And so I gruelingly continue on with this fic…I know, I know, its been forever with the updates but things have been slow as well as my inspiration. I was hoping to be able to correct some of those major qualities that I seemed to be lacking in my last few updates and hopefully I've improved them somewhat. The major reason behind my not updating this fic for the last few months, however, is because I've been busy writing an entry to a writing contest for my school, but now, with that complete, I'll have more freelance writing time and hopefully get things coming out sooner. Anyhow, on with the fic…(is it just me or do those roman numerals look long or what?)

**Gohan's Journey**

**Chapter XVIII**

Walking slowly through the hallways lined high with steel ways that seemed to box in and close around Gohan, the boy looked around uneasily. Constantly his situation on Mankin was changing, developing into something much different and in the end rather confusing than it had first started out as. First kidnapped, then treated like a respectable guest, and then back to threats and glares. Gohan sighed deeply, his breath falling between parted lips as his deep ebony eyes quickly darted around and silently calculated the way Acadia was taking him. She had earlier mentioned to him on their way that she was taking him through a "back route" to Dr. Kinson's office since she didn't think he would like to deal with the nuisance of seeing the bio-androids again. Oh, she was more right in those respects, thought Gohan at the time, though now bio-androids seemed to be the thing least from his mind.

He was worried, and that was being frank. Though he was extremely interested to figure out just who his captor was and why he was so highly sought after, Gohan just couldn't find himself steeled with enough nerves to overcome the entire dread of the situation. He had done things like this countless times before when battling against evils with his friends and family but this just seemed _so_ much different. Never before could he remember a time when he was actually 'meeting' with one of them, and in a civilized, unbattle-like manner. He suddenly wondered what his father would do in his position. 

A long sigh fell between Gohan's lips at the mere thought of his father. He knew the man would be more than welcomed by the thought of a chance to possibly fix the entire situation without the worry of complete annihilation and then talk. But thenagain this wasn't a talk over the end of the world, this was a meeting about himself where the only cause and affect would happen to him. Gohan gulped at the thought, this wasn't going to be pretty and he knew it.

"Don't worry."

Gohan blinked as he looked down toward Acadia when he heard the young girl speak, a large smile written across her lips as she seemed obviously unfazed by the whole ordeal. He opened his mouth to speak in return, though he was only silenced by Acadia's raised hand.

"He's not that bad," she began softly as her hand lowed and she looked in head of them and toward the way they were walking. "He's actually very kind…He gave me and my friends all places to live and work after he took over our planet. I mean, at least he gave us somewhere to go instead of killing us. Sure, his bio-androids would step on us the moment we got in the way and the food isn't very good for the slaves, but its better then being on our own…I'm not sure why he wants you Gohan, like I mentioned earlier, but I wouldn't worry, at least not yet." Stated the Furur-jin softly, her voice carrying lightly within the long hallway as they made their way forward.

"Thank you," replied Gohan in but a whisper, really not quite enlightened after Acadia's speech but understanding her reasons behind what she had said. He really could never picture a life such as she had had, where her planet had been conquered by a mad man and then she was almost forced into working for him as a slave. Gohan shook his head at the thoughts, his raven hair swaying about his face with the motion, as he tried to register everything going on about him. He knew what was going on was wrong, definitely, but he just didn't know how to fix it. After all, he couldn't even keep control of his own situation so how was he suppose to help other people?

With a long and delicate sigh Gohan brushed the thoughts away from his mind, determined to worry about something else than his current dilemma that was steadily drawing closer. His ebony eyes instead wandered around the area that Acadia was taking him through, he himself trying his hardest to commit the entire layout to memory. He thought that perhaps it would come in handy and that was what he really needed at this point, he didn't want to take the chance of getting lost once again, that could end up with a fatal response this time.

"Acadia, how much longer until we get there?" he asked the small woman leading him through the hallways tentatively, not at all sure if he really wanted the answer that was he bound to hear.

Acadia glanced behind her shoulder, smiling widely and reassuringly as she tilted her chin the direction in front of her. "Just a little bit farther ahead, it's just around the hallway." She chirped nonchantlantly, though Gohan felt as if his heart was sinking with each of her fibered word. Sighing in length, Gohan tried to keep the knots in his stomach under control as he continued to follow the small Furur-jin in front of him.

Dr. Adrian Kinston, renowned scientists and biochemical genius of the centaury. He had always liked the handle; it suited him as far as he was concerned, even if it was all just a bunch of lies foiled together to look like the truth. Adrian Kinson smiled softly to himself as he leaned back into the soft and smooth leather covering of his plush chair resting plaintively in front of his large desk. He knew he really wasn't the genius that everyone perceived him to be, actually he enjoyed the business and ruling district further than the science field himself. He barely even remembered the basic formulas that he had learned in his younger years when he had been forced into going to classes in order to become educated and grow up into a well developed, smart, and rich man. Ha, they never would believe that he would come so far as to being one of the closest people to rule the universe. He was close, very close to having his dream come true. All he needed was some more bio-androids and everything would be perfect and right in place, yeah, that was before that horrible accident had happened.

Adrian sighed disdainfully at the thought that flickered briefly across his mind. He did not want to worry about such pointless memories, especially when he was so close to erasing the past. It was all perfectly schemed and all he needed was that damn Saiyan brat to finish things up. After that 'accident' more than a year ago Adrian had been looking through the galaxy for months to find someone, _anything_, that could aid him bringing back the crazy scientist Junko Bikuta after he had been killed in an explosion in the biochemical lab. It had been a horrible event, one which had caused a major delay in Adrian's conquest of world destruction, partially because Junko had been the original designers of the bio-androids and was the only one who could actually _make_ them. But that didn't matter now, thought Adrian with a quick sweep of the thoughts that flooded his mind, he had found Son Gohan and now all his problems were over with.

Allowing his fingers to fold into his lap, Adrian let out a content sigh. "Yes, close, very close." He murmured under his breath softly. He had to only wait a few moments before Gohan would be brought to him and he could once again begin his plans to have the whole world under his control. It was just a matter of time now until he would have his revenge and be the master of all domains.

A long and openly annoyed sigh fell between the Saiyan no ouji as he shook his head at the blundering woman and the Namek that were discussing the best possible point of getting to Gohan's location. He was openly irritated with their infumating banter, really wondering if the carnage of a possible life or death fight was really worth listening to the two brickering any longer. After all, he did have better things to do with his time, like train. "Well now that we know where the gaki is can we just get on a ship and go get him? I'm not interested in the details, let's just go." Stated the Saiyan Prince with a haughty and flaring sort of his nostrils, more than glad that they now knew their destination and could get going soon. He wasn't the type to just sit around and wait for an opportunity to slip through his fingers so easily.

Bulma shook her head at Vegeta, blue strands of hair flickering in front of her shimmering blue eyes with the movement. "You're so anial! Sheesh, just gimme a minute to get Piccolo out of this thing." She stated with a exasperated breath, fully having had enough of Vegeta's complaining in her mind.

"I'll second to that," chided in Piccolo gruffly, glad, finally, when Bulma had begun to remove the mind-tracking device from atop his bald green head. He almost immediately replaced his turban top onto his head, shaking his head slowly at the contraptions that Bulma could come up with when she put her mind to things. It was purely insidious at times.

Sticking her tongue out at the two downers, Bulma sighed gently while bringing up a hand to brush her thin blue strands of her hair from her face. "Fine, fine, already, sheesh. I'll get you a ship; just give me an hour to get it ready. It's not like these things are just ready to be taken out into space in a moment's notice!" complained Bulma as she rested her hands on her hips, a disgruntled look flashing briefly upon her sweet visage before she turned and began to walk in the direction of the indoor storage space in one of the Capsule Corp. buildings. She just hoped she could find something that would suite the two and allow them to stop complaining to her so much, she was really quite annoyed with all of it.

Vegeta just snorted at Bulma's little speech before shaking his head. He glanced briefly at the Namek across the room, each exchanging a brief glare with the other before turning on their heels and stalking out of the room in either direction. Neither of them knew how they were going to stand being in the same ship with each other for who knows how long. One going for the sake of a friend and the other going for a good fight, both knew it was going to be interesting, to say the least.

Goku steadied himself on the side of the catwalk within the city of undead, his wide ebony eyes staring at the Northern Kai with a look of bewilderment. "What…Uh…I told you, that guy that warned me about the bio-androids. Don't you remember me mentioning this?" he asked the Northern Kai with the utmost honesty resounding with each word. He really had no clue what had caused the Kai to react in such an outrageous manner, though he figured it had to of been something that he had done.

The Northern Kai let out an exaggerated sigh, shaking his head slowly at Goku as he looked at him, an obviously impatient look etched into his visage. "Goku, didn't anyone ever teach you not to talk to strangers?" he asked tensely, really quite annoyed with this whole 'let's beat around the bush' deal that seemed to be going on with Goku lately. "Just spill it out and make sure to in clue just who this Junko guy is!" King Kai nearly demanded as he screamed at the Saiyan sitting in front of him.

"But King Kai…I just told you." Pleaded Goku gently, as if it had been the most obviously thing in the world.

"Well tell me again!" screamed the Northern Kai; fully infuriated by this time and more than ready for the explanation that Goku had cooked up this time. "And be quick about it." He added in a rush before quieting down just enough to listen to just what Goku had in mind to tell him.

Goku let in a tentative breath, almost as if steeling himself for the explanation he was bound to have to forgo. "Well I guess it kinda started a few days ago…" he started slowly, one of his hands moving up to rub the back of his head as he began to tell the Northern Kaio just how he had wound up meeting Junko.

It had been a few days before the bio-androids were suppose to arrive when Goku had first met Junko. He had been by himself, walking along down one of the many buildings and all around trying to preoccupy himself before he was suppose to meet with Pikkon for a sparring session. Ever since he had died it had been more difficult to find something to do to keep boredom out of his way, though this had soon changed when a man with long spiky white hair pulled into a ponytail came running up to him.

"Are you Goku, Son Goku, from Earth?" questioned the stranger with quick and carefully placed words, his bright emerald green eyes staring at Goku through his power white bangs that flickered in front of his vision with his jittery movements. He was a tall man with an lanky built and wearing strange clothes with elaborating embodied spheres across the silky robes.

Goku, in his warm and kind smile, looked toward the man with a welcoming look etched into his visage. "Yeah, that's me. Can I help you?" he asked softly, not even attempting to wonder why the man had known his name. He wasn't the type to question such things, instead figure out why the man was so eager to speak with him and what was the matter.

A long and relieved sigh fell between the man's lips. "I'm Junko," he stated softly before glancing over his shoulder as he if he was trying to make sure no one was coming. "I need to tell you something. It's important to the safety of your son." He added gently as he glanced back toward Goku, his bright green eyes alive with need and desire. He hoped the man didn't think him insane when he really needed Goku's trust.

Goku's features seemed to suddenly tense at the mention of Gohan. "What's the matter? What's going to happen to Gohan?" he questioned immediately, wanting to know just what was so important to his son's safety. He didn't even want to believe that something terrible was going to happen to him and so shortly after he had finally found peace. Sure, he wasn't there for him anymore, but at least he was living in peace.

Junko inhaled a deep, tentative, breath. "There are these things, you see, called bio-androids. There's a ship on its way right now to Earth and they're looking for Gohan. They'll take him or kill him, you see, because…" Junko's words trailed off as he heard a rustling coming from behind. "Damn," he murmured under his breath softly before turning and leaving Goku at a fast run before completing his information, his mind silently praying that Goku believed him and warned Gohan before everything would be messed up.

"…And that's what he told me before he ran off. I saw some of the guards coming through the area after he left, but I didn't think it had anything to do with him at the time." Said Goku softly as he finished his retelling of what had happened to the Northern Kaio. 

King Kai sighed softly once Goku was finished with his short story, his head shaking in confusion as he turned to look toward the tall Saiyan warrior in front of him, one of his hands rubbing his chubby cheeks with a pensive gaze settled within the recesses of his mind. "Goku, this doesn't sound good." He said after a short silence, another long breath racing between his puffy parsed lips.

"I know, but we have to do something." Countered Goku gently, his mind seeking to find some way that they could possibly right the situation though nothing seemed to come to his mind, which only frustrated the Saiyan further.

"Goku…"

"Yes?"

"There's nothing we can do. This is in Gohan's hands now."

A/N: Yes, I know, another short chapter. I really just couldn't think of a better place to end this without it turning out to be a 20-odd-page chapter, which I didn't want.  Well, anyhow, for those who are curious this fic is almost done. The explanation has been done and with a few more twists, maybe some more *.coughviolentcough.* action this fic will be done. Yeah! Finally I'm getting off my lazy butt and finishing this thing! I know things were a little weird in this chapter, but don't worry, in due time everything will become clear and new twists in the plot will come.


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